A Digital Beginning
by Drowzee1
Summary: The most dangerous threat to the Digi-Destined is not Myotismon, a Dark Master, or even Apocalymon. It is an ally, who suddenly appears in a time of need. A unique partnerless Digimon created entirely by a human, who does not know his past or future.
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE  
  
What is destiny? Is it what fate deals you, or what others interpret as fate once an event occurs?  
Is it absolute and unquestionable, or...  
...  
...  
Can something fall through?  
  
  
A red light appeared on the screen, and a distinctly feminine synthesized voice announced: "Living Data signatures appearing in Japan."  
  
From being slumped over in a chair, a figure, hidden in the shadows of the dark room, jerked and sat up. "Where?"  
  
Maps appeared, first of the world, then a red box around the island nation appeared and expanded. Then it focused on a single island, and a single city... "Where is that?"  
  
Ideograms appeared on the screen.   
  
"TRANSLATE, DAMMIT!"  
  
The Katakana wavered and became English characters. "That seems awfully familiar. Let me think... Open file and cross-reference global data map number 1, focus on intercepted data patterns, Biorhythms, Digimon, Digi-Destined."  
  
Another map appeared beside the first, more red dots appearing in a close formation.  
"Overlay, compare event locations."  
The computer willingly obliged, setting the maps on top of each other.  
  
The marks were within a mile of each other.  
  
"Lyla?" the figure asked suddenly.  
"Yes?" the machine replied instantly, a plain woman in business suit appearing via holographic projection.  
"Synth me a cup of Chai; I think we've run out of time. Activate project: Doppelganger, code authorization: 'If I had a clone, I'd be beside myself with joy.'"   
  
"Synthesis of Chai tea will take forty five seconds. Sugar?"  
"Yes."  
"Cream?"  
"You know it."  
  
A new window appeared, under the title "Doppelganger".  
"Excellent. He really does look like..." the human began quietly, admiring his work.  
"Your tea, sir."  
"Ah, thank you. Do you have the edited memory arrays ready for uploading? And make sure the combat training and pseudo-biorhythm are fully integrated. We don't want a screw up like last time."  
  
A slight moment of silence as the computer called up the appropriate functions.  
  
"Start the compile, then. I'll get the crests."  
  
Five hours later:  
  
The hologram came to life, and walked to the sleeping human's side. "Compile complete... Build?"  
  
The only response was a gentle snoring.  
  
"Compile complete... Build? Compile complete... Build? Compile complete... Build?..."  
  
Late the next day, Lyla was still repeating the request when the programmer awoke.  
"...complete... Build? Compile complete... Build? Compile complete"  
  
Listening to this for about a minute, the programmer snapped. "YES! Build in the release chamber! Just don't repeat yourself like that!"   
  
"Affirmative. Beginning build process... Would you like dinner?"  
  
"Wha? What time is it?" rubbing his eyes and looking at his watch, Drowzee1 came fully awake. "Oh, Sh..."  
  
  
In the release chamber, a fuzzy shape gained definition with every passing second...  
As the coding fit together, the essence of being formed, the consciousness formed at the primordial level and advanced quickly. Memories of life beyond the meager time frame of the build process showed in flashes... Mastery of martial arts and the love of battle... knowledge of the fellow Digimon, their purpose, his purpose. Finally, it was finished. A new creature lay on a dais in the center of the room...  
  
  
"Lyla, is he ready?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"Execute."  
  
A pair of golden eyes flashed open, and the Digimon was instantly up and out the door, running towards Japan.  
  
  
"I hope we've done the right thing, Lyla."  
"Yes, sir."  
  
  
  
  
(Author's note: Due to the lack of reviews, I've removed all of the original stories and edited them, compiled some into one fic... This way I can write other Digimon fics without confusing or being confused myself.)  



	2. Enter Benjamon and The Next Step

Enter Benjamon  
  
  
  
Scene: Ferry dock outside Myotismon's fogbank. T.K. and Joe have left the dock on Ikkakumon, shouting assurances at T.K.'s mother. As Joe and T.K. enter the fog bank, this story begins.  
  
"Pardon me!" says a figure, struggling through the crowd at the ferry docks, "I have to get through! Excuse me!" He checks his watch, and looks quite frayed and impatient, just like those around him. Looking around, no one is paying attention to him; he shrugs, tightens the straps on his backpack, and jumps. Somersaulting over the heads of the crowd, he lands facing the end of the dock, and begins to run. "Hey! Wait!!" he calls to the kids disappearing into the fog on the back of a Digimon. His legs blur as he runs faster and faster, nearly knocking T.K.'s mother off her feet from the extreme low pressure created in his passing. "Sorrryy..." a voice echos back to her as the stranger also disappears into the fog, running across the water.  
  
Ikkakumon's ears twitch. "Hey, do you hear something strange?" he asks.   
  
"No, why do ask?" Joe replied, his fingers fidgeting with the white hair of his partner. TK shakes his head, saying "Nope!"  
  
Patamon, however, stopped flying, landing on Ikkakumon's back. "I think I do," he said, in his chirpy little voice. "Like someone stomping in a puddle, or something..."   
  
Just then, the fog swirls in a small area alongside Ikkakumon, accompanied by a rush of air and spray.   
  
"Excuse me! I've got to help the Digi-destinedddd!" ghosts back to them as a fog-muted blueish blur speeds by. "What was that?!" all gasp as the waves of its passage radiate outwards. They have no time to ponder this before they come across a bridge and Megaseadramon!  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Kari walked out of the warehouse to face Phantomon. "I'm the eighth Digi-Destined. It's me you want, so if you let my friends go, I'll come with you quietly."   
  
Matt, with the chain of Phantomon's shadow scythe wrapped around his neck, managed to get enough breath to yell "KARI! NO!"   
  
Sora, threatened by Snimon and Tuskomon, added her voice to Matt's. "DON'T GIVE IN, KARI!"  
  
Kari bowed her head, "There has been too much pain. I'll go with you to Myotismon if you leave my friends alone." She spoke softly, barely more than a whisper.  
  
Phantomon laughed darkly, and in his cornily spooky voice, "ReallY? ThaT WoulD Be A WisE MovE FoR YoU. MyotismoN WilL Be PleaseD YoU GavE In So EasilY!" Phantomon creates a translucent gray transport bubble around Kari, and the chain around Matt's neck unravels.   
  
"KARI! NO!" Matt shouted again, as the bubble lifted the eighth child off the ground.   
  
Behind Phantomon is an empty overpass. Empty, that is, except for a lone figure moving rapidly out of the shadows and fog. "Hey, Photomat!" it taunts, leaping from the railing towards Phantomon's hovering shape.  
  
"WhaT?!" Phantomon exclaimed as he turned around, only to be nailed in the face with two well-worn sneakers. The boy bursts through the fog into view for Matt, Sora, Garudamon and Garurumon. The falling figure pushes off against Phantomon, hitting the bubble containing Kari. In an explosion of glimmering dust, the bubble pops, and Kari began to fall. The interloper catches her deftly, and lands safely on the ground, crouching down as he dissipates the force of the fall by slowing down his impact.  
  
"Who is that, Matt?" growled Garurumon, struggling to rise.  
  
"Don't ask me!" Matt fired back.  
  
"Benjamon." Says the kneeling form, setting Kari down gently and standing up. Light flashes of a pair of glasses. "A friend to the Digi-Destined, if you want to get specific." Benjamon carefully pushes Kari towards Matt. "I'll take care of Phantomon, you get Garurumon and Garudamon ready to fight." He turns back to Phantomon. "Give me your scythe, Boris Karloffmon, and I won't destroy you." he stated calmly, staring straight into Phantomon's glowing eyes.  
  
"YoU? DestroY Me? Don'T MakE Me LaugH!" Phantomon said, drifting down to just above ground level, his scythe ready to puree this intruder.   
  
"I don't want to make you laugh. Your laugh is incredibly cheesy. Your shadow scythe, however, is quite interesting..."  
  
"WhaT InsolencE! YoU LikE My ScythE, Do YoU? TakE A GooD LooK, TheN!!" Phantomon drew back his scythe, and attacked! "ShadoW ScythE!" he cried, swinging the black blade towards Benjamon. Phantomon's red eyes widened as he realized he has been stopped in his action, his scythe now held by an additional pair of hands, human hands, human hands with strangely inscribed metal hand guards covering the back and palm.  
  
"Not so easy to get me, Fattyman." Benjamon says, and tries to wrest the scythe away.  
  
"HurG!" Phantomon grunts, tearing his scythe away from his adversary. "HoW AbouT ThiS?!?" Phantomon yells, hurling the chain towards Benjamon's throat.  
  
Benjamon stands absolutely still as the weighted chain hurtles past his right ear, starts to curve to wrap around his throat an choke him...   
  
"Can you get up, Garurumon?" Kari asked, rubbing the digimon's blue paw.   
  
"Not yet..." growls the wolf digimon, and glows as he devolves back into Gabumon, his blue coat hanging loosely over his body. "Matt, are you all right?" Gabumon asks, trodding over to Matt, who is still rubbing his throat.  
  
"Yeah, I am fine...Just give me a few moments..." he coughs, looking towards the rescuer.  
  
Benjamon's left hand shoots up between the chain and his neck, and he grabs the chain leading back to Phantomon in his right, wrapping it around his forearm and wrist. "How about this?" he asks, still able to breathe. "Not bad, but you just made a major mistake."  
  
"WhaT Do YoU Mea...HRRRK!" Phantomon gasps as Benjamon yanked the chain suddenly, viciously, getting more slack to work with.  
  
"I mean, you're digi-dust." Benjamon smiles, leaning to his right, then suddenly snapping his arm and body to the left in a fluid motion. A large curve forms in the chain and moves toward Phantomon, who shakes horribly as the chain yanks him about. Benjamon snaps back to the right, creating another large curve, and dragging Phantomon along.  
  
"HeY! StoP! I'M GettinG SicK!" Phantomon shouts, shortening the chain to keep the chain's waving from being able to build up so much.   
  
"You never studied physics, did you?" Benjamon asks, still jerking the chain from one side to the other.   
  
"WhaT?? OoF! OW! StoP! StoP!" Phantomon yells, now getting swung into the ground as the chain arcs to the left, then right, carrying the stubborn digi-mon along like the weight on the end of a metronome.  
  
"Why didn't you do that, Matt?" Gabumon asks, helping Matt to his feet. "I didn't think of it... Anyway, this Benjamon character is taller than me, and looks stronger, too..." Matt says, looking round for Sora.  
  
Benjamon stops, and smiles... "Ready to give up that scythe, yet?" he asks, gazing up at the battered Digimon.   
  
"No!" Phantomon screeches. "SnimoN! TuskomoN! DestroY HiM!" Phantomon shouts to the two hench digimon. The mantis-like Snimon leaps toward Benjamon, ready to disembowel this troublemaker.  
  
"Should have called them sooner, Ed Woodmon." Benjamon taunts, swinging Phantomon into Snimon's path, and grinning in satisfaction when they collide. The sharp blade of the shadow scythe cuts through the exoskeleton of the bug-like digimon, and it screams shrilly as the edge passes completely through it. "Good job, Fatfreemon."   
  
Garudamon gets up out of the wreckage of the building she was knocked into, and looks around. "Where is Snimon?" she booms.   
  
Sora hugged Garudamon's leg tightly, and yelled up, "Snimon's defeated! You have to take out Tuskomon, though! That Digimon's still attacking!" Garudamon blinked, and nods, gently taking Sora into her hands. "I will defeat Tuskomon. I won't underestimate these evil Digimon again." Garudamon stands up and faces the battle...  
  
The ground shakes as Tuskomon charges Benjamon. "No problem... Just swing Phantomon again and... Huh?" Benjamon is yanked off his feet when he tries to pull the chain again. The scythe has lodged in Snimon, and the chain is still wrapped around Benjamon's neck and arm! Phantomon laughs, deep and evilly, as the rampaging Tuskomon rushes at Benjamon.  
  
The bizarre green reptile with enormous horns bore down, each step a pounding death knell for this upstart. Light flashing from his glasses, he sweats, mouth agape as he fails to get away...  
  
"NoW YoU WilL Beee SorrY!" Phantomon gloats...  
  
"WING BLADE!" Garudamon shouts as she attacks, a bird of radiant fire bursting forth from her body and speeding towards the attacking Tuskomon.  
  
Garudamon's attack plows into Tuskomon, hitting the undefended rear of the horned digimon, and knocking it aside as well as defeating it, the hulk of the digimon hurtling past mere inches from Benjamon's arm... Benjamon starts breathing again...   
  
"Thank you!" he shouts, then turns back to Phantomon, who seems to be the one sweating heavily. "Well, It's just you and me again... Got any other tricks?" he asks, steadily pulling on the chain, letting the blade slowly slice its way out of Snimon's corpse, then pulling Phantomon towards him.  
  
"UhhhH... What'S ThaT BehinD YoU?" the ghostly Digimon stammers, looking wildly about for a way to escape with his scythe.  
  
"Don't know, let's have a ...LOOK!" Benjamon shouts, spinning suddenly and sending Phantomon through a wall. When Phantomon stops, Benjamon charges in after the ghostly digimon.  
  
"Who is that guy?" Sora asked, holding Biyomon close as she sits next to Matt, Gabumon, and Kari.  
  
"Not sure." Matt said, looking at the corpse of Snimon.  
  
"He said he was a friend of the Digidestined, and what he's doing proves it." Gabumon adds, watching the building where Phantomon and Benjamon continue to fight. A long series of windows are broken in a straight line where Phantomon smashed through, and tatters of rags are caught on the sharp edges.  
  
"He said his name is Benjamon, sort of like a Digimon,..." Kari finished.  
  
Inside the building, Phantomon found himself caught in a tangle of office furniture, water pipes, glass and his own chain. "I MusT TelL MyotismoN!" he gasps, struggling to remove a cubical wall from his lower body. A soft crunch, and Benjamon stares Phantomon in the face.  
  
"You tried well, but in vain. I'd like to convince you to help me, instead, but that obviously wouldn't work." He says, softly, the markings on his hand guards and glasses beginning to glow... "Good night, Phantomon. My your next recompilation be more successful." Benjamon held Phantomon down with his knee, drew back his fist, the hand guard shining like the sun, and punched straight through Phantomon's cloaked head, watching the former servant of Myotismon dissolve into bits of code as the chain around his arm and neck vanished with it's owner.  
  
Benjamon exited the building, and strode softly over to the group. "Phantomon has been destroyed..." he said softly. "Not bad for a Rookie Digimon, Eh?" he says with a smile, and for the first time, Matt, Sora, Kari, Gabumon and Biyomon notice that behind the glasses, Benjamon's eyes are golden yellow, and have vertical slits for pupils... Benjamon looks at the stunned group, running a hand through his brown hair. "We have to get to the fog generator. Especially you... Kari, was it? Anyway, Myotismon is likely to be there, along with your Digimon..."  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
  
  
  
The Next Step  
  
(I'd like to apologize for attempting to write "Benjamon Enters" in the present tense. I was tired when I wrote it, and I thought it made sense then... obviously, it does not.)  
  
Scene: Immediately after Phantomon's defeat, outside a warehouse and damaged buildings. Matt is sitting next to Gabumon, Sora is holding Biyomon, and Kari sits between the two other Digi-Destined. All are staring at Benjamon.   
  
"What do you mean, 'Get Kari to Myotismon'?!" Sora asked, incredulously.  
  
"Tai told us to keep her AWAY from that maniac! I thought we fought just now to keep Phantomon from taking her!" shouted Matt, glaring at Benjamon.  
  
Benjamon took off his glasses, and blinked his large, golden eyes owlishly as he sat down in front of the group. "I understand your confusion..." he began, cleaning the spectacles on his shirt before putting them back on. "So I'll explain. You do know what 'destiny' means, don't you?" he paused, and continued. "Don't answer that. It was a rhetorical question. In your current situation, I think destiny means that Myotismon will be beaten, but only with the help of the eighth child. Now, mere humans don't stand much of a chance against Ol' Blue Eyes, (Myotismon has strikingly blue eyes. This is also a reference to Frank Sinatra. I enjoy puns, look for them) so I assume that Kari's Digimon is already here, and is a unique Digimon." He pauses, looking around at the slightly bored faces. "Any guesses on who it is? I really have no idea."  
  
"That's easy!" said Biyomon, piping up from Sora's lap.  
  
"Gatomon." Kari murmured. "It's Gatomon."  
  
Benjamon hmmed to himself, and spoke again. "Well, since Gatomon came through with Myotismon, it's probably likely that she is in his clutches. So, we have to go find Myotismon, rescue Gatomon, and then stop Myotismon's reign of terror. Does that make more sense?" he finished, and stood up, adjusting the straps on his backpack.  
  
Sora and Biyomon nodded, Kari nodded slowly, but she had known that she would have ended up going to Myotismon no matter what happened.  
  
Matt hrumphed and looked away from Benjamon. "What a pompous Digimon!" he said under his breath. "He does seem to know what he's talking about, Matt." Gabumon replied, regarding Matt with his red eyes. "So? He's arrogant! And we can't tell what he is! The Digivices don't record anything on him!" Matt said, voice rising in volume slightly.  
  
Benjamon turned. "I don't think you'll find anything on me," he said, eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at Matt, "Because I had to corrupt my data severely to change my image to a humanoid form. I couldn't even show you what I looked like before. But I do know that I would have been killed, deleted, spun, folded, and mutilated years ago had I not altered to my present form. And it was painful. VERY painful. Imagine every nerve on fire, constantly screaming, for an entire year." He continued in a voice of ice. "But even that was better than destruction at the hands of curious and frightened humans. No Digivice, not even mine," he said as he pulled a silver Digivice from his backpack, "will get anything but line noise." Benjamon checked the time, while the three Digi-Destined gaped at him.   
  
"YOU have a Digivice?!!" they all exclaimed. "How...!?"  
  
Benjamon shrugged, "I really don't know. I've always had it, as well as these glasses and hand guards." he put the Digivice back into his pack, and looked at Matt again. "So if I am arrogant and pompous, at least respect what I've done to survive. Let's get going, Kari." He said, looking over at the eighth child. "I think that I should get her to Myotismon, while Sora and Biyomon find the others. I'd also recommend that you and Gabumon stay here and wait for Tai, and tell him what has happened, and where to go. That way, we could get everyone together faster."   
  
"And why should we listen to you?" snapped Matt, "You just show up and think you can boss us around?"  
  
"Matt, please..." said Sora, standing next to Biyomon, "Can't you see he's trying to help us?"   
  
"I'm open to suggestions. If you can think of a better way to go about saving your world, I'll follow you until we succeed... If I survive all this, my loyalty to the Digi-Destined will hold true." Benjamon said as he walked over to Kari, and asked "Well, what should we do?"  
  
"Take me to Myotismon..." Kari said in a soft voice. "We need to stop all this."  
  
Benjamon nodded, and picked Kari up in his arms. "I'll run her over to the Television tower...I think that's where the mathematical center of the fog bank is, and therefore, Myotismon and Gatomon... Unless someone objects, that is." Benjamon looked pointedly at Matt.  
  
"No..." Matt said at last, sitting down heavily. "I can't think of a better way to make this end."  
  
Benjamon nodded again. "I shall see you soon, then. And I swear on my coding that I won't let Kari come to harm." And with that, he dashed off into the fog, vaulting over totaled automobiles and building wreckage.   
  
"What do we do now, Matt?" Gabumon asked after a few moments.  
  
Matt sighed, putting his head on his arms. "We wait for Tai, Gabumon..."  
Biyomon, meanwhile, Digivolved into Birdramon, and flew off carrying Sora to find the others.  
  
Benjamon ran onwards through the swirling mists, the blocks of the city flashing by. He gently held Kari to his chest, running so smoothly that she couldn't tell, save for the air rushing past them, that they were moving at all.  
  
"Kari?" Benjamon said softly, dodging a van.   
  
"Yes?" came her reply. "What is it?"  
  
"I am sorry about this, but I'll have to set you down at the tower, and hide. You have to make it seem as if you've come of your own free will... I think it's the only way you'll get close enough to Gatomon. If I am seen, we could be in serious trouble. Don't get me wrong, I'll be following you and trying to keep you safe, but if I'm found too soon, I'll be destroyed before the other Digi-Destined could reach us." He murmured, slowing down as they approached the spherical television tower. "You do understand, don't you?"  
  
Kari sighed softly, rocking forward in his arms as he came to a complete stop. "I know. I'd like to thank you for taking all this trouble to help us." She said as he gently set her on the cement.   
  
Benjamon smiled sadly, and nodded once. "Off you go now... hmm. With any luck, that blue bowling ball with the wings and skull motif over there by the entrance will be more than happy to show you the way..." he said, pointing out a small dim figure in the fog.  
"That's DemiDevimon. He'll do whatever it takes to get me to Myotismon." Kari said sadly, turning toward the television tower, steeling herself, and walked up to the small flying Digimon, who began to fly in crazy, joyous patterns, as he herded Kari through the doors.  
  
Benjamon took out his Digivice, looked at his reflection in the silvered device sadly, seeing his golden, catlike, even reptilian, eyes. He removed his backpack, set it under a pile of rubble, and placed his Digivice in his hip pocket. Benjamon disappeared into the building before the doors had a chance to close behind Demi-Devimon.   
  
  
"MATT! Where's Kari?!" Tai shouted, running up to the warehouse, Agumon close behind, his orange color strangely muted in Myotismon's magical fogbank.   
  
"She's gone, Tai," Matt sighed, looking at the ground.  
  
"WHAT?!" Tai shouted, eyes wide. "WHAT HAPPENED!?"  
  
"Calm down! It wasn't Matt's fault!" Gabumon interceded.  
  
"WHAT HAPPENED?" Tai shouted again.  
  
"Phantomon showed up. We tried to fight, but he summoned Snimon and Tuskomon, but Garudamon and Garurumon couldn't defeat them. Kari told Phantomon she'd go with him to Myotismon if he stopped hurting us." Matt said, standing up and looking Tai in the eye.  
  
"What happened to this one, then?" asked Agumon, looking at the corpse of Snimon.   
  
"Matt was just getting to that..." Gabumon said, "And just as Phantomon was about to leave with Kari trapped in a gray bubble, this human-looking Digimon, calling himself 'Benjamon' shows up, and defeats Snimon and Phantomon."  
  
"Sora and Garudamon took care of Tuskomon." Matt said, "This 'Benjamon' clown starts acting like a grownup, and bossing us around."   
  
"Well, not really, Matt." Gabumon said, looking up with his round crimson eyes.  
  
"Let me talk, okay, Gabumon?" Matt continued, looking at the ground briefly with a sigh, then back at Tai. "He convinced Kari to go find Gatomon and Myotismon at the television tower, and told Sora to go look for the others, and for Gabumon and I to wait for you here." He finished.  
  
"Wait! He defeated Snimon and Phantomon? What level was he?" asked Agumon, prodding the giant green insect with his claws.   
  
"He said he was a rookie, like us." Gabumon answered.   
  
"A rookie beat up two of Myotismon's hench-Digimon? Good thing he's on our side, then! Come on, Matt, Let's get to that television tower and rescue Kari!" Tai exclaimed, running off.  
  
"Tai! You're running the wrong way!" Matt yelled.  
  
"I've got an idea, Matt." Said Gabumon, Digivolving into Garurumon.  
  
"Get on my back, and I'll carry you there much faster than you could run." Garurumon rumbled.  
  
"Garurumon, you are brilliant!" Matt cried, mounting the large blue wolf, and helping Tai and Agumon aboard.  
  
/////  
  
Author's note:  
This is a rough story, but it improves dramatically.  
  
The next fanfic is "Myotismon's Endgame, which seems quite popular, if only because it features Myotismon.  
  
Send your comments to Drowzee1@hotmail .com   
(The space is intentional, to keep my silly word processor from printing a large hyperlink.)  



	3. Myotismon's Endgame

Myotismon's End Game  
This is a BIG one. Nearly entirely a battle, so enjoy!  
  
Scene: Inside the gray halls of the television tower where Myotismon is holding Gatomon. Bakemon patrol the floors.  
  
Benjamon slipped in after Demidevimon and Kari, getting through the doors just before they closed. Moving silently through the dimly lit green halls, Benjamon followed the batwinged bootlicker Digimon that kept repeating and embellishing a story that would make him look the best. "Okay... So I found you hiding, No! You were right in the middle of all the Digi-Destined, and I lured them away, putting myself at great risk before I came back to capture you!" Demidevimon cackled, his twisted mind whirling. "I can't say I fought the Digi-Destined, Lord Myotismon would never believe that."  
Shaking his head at the opportunistic blue/black Digimon, Benjamon crept along behind, tucking into small alcoves, hiding around corners... He slowly looked around the edge of the wall, and saw...  
Demidevimon pushing Kari into an elevator.  
  
Benjamin swore under his breath, and looked about for the stairs. There would be no way for him to get onto another elevator without being obvious, and...  
Something touched his shoulder. "Who are you?" it said, voice hollow, lacking substance.   
"What?" Benjamon yelped, jumping about three feet into the air and spinning. In front of him was a bedsheet with eyes and teeth... A ghost Digimon, Bakemon. Benjamon swore again. "Umm... I'm delivering a pizza. Did someone order a large pepperoni?"  
  
At the mention of food, the Bakemon's eyes went wide. "Hey, everyone!" it called, "There's a Pizza guy with a large pepperoni!"  
The floor, ceiling, and walls wavered as Bakemon slipped through at the promise of pizza. Benjamon mentally kicked himself several times as at least 20 more Bakemon appeared.  
"Where's the pizza?" the first ghost Digimon asked, shouts of agreement emerging from the rest of the crowd.   
Benjamon ran through his options.   
1. Play the role of a pizza delivery guy. Would take too long. If Kari died, then the world would be plunged into darkness.  
2. Run away, and find another way up. No idea where to run to, and again, might take too long.  
3. Fight. Benjamon HAD defeated Phantomon. Bakemon shouldn't be too hard, and would ensure no further interference once defeated.  
  
Benjamon took number three, golden eyes glittering dangerously in the dim light as he grabbed a Bakemon by the hem and ripped upward, damaging the ghost program so badly it disintegrated. Hand guards shining with an inner light burned away the subroutines of the next ghost as Benjamon speared his left hand into its eyes. Three more Bakemon fell before their peers could react, and converged on the lone rookie Digimon.   
"You're no pizza guy!" One shouted.  
"What are you doing?!" yelled another as they spiraled round and round.  
  
Across the hallway, a door cracked open as Izzy, Tentomon, and Matt's father peered out. "What are those ghosts doing?" the adult whispered.  
"I'm not sure, but they sure are excited!" Tentomon replied quietly.  
  
From within the whirling mass of Bakemon, a white figure flew out as a sneaker crashed into its face and sent the Bakemon spinning into the wall, where it slid down to the floor with a humorous squeak before disassociating into its component data.  
  
"I'd say they are not having a good day..." Izzy murmured as a fist wrapped in unearthly light tore through another hapless Digimon.  
  
"Who wants to be next?!" Benjamon yelled. "I'll be all too glad to send you back home in as many pieces as possible!" He grabbed another Bakemon from the dwindling mass by its sleeves and ripped it asunder through sheer force.  
  
"He's not very good at battle cries," Tentomon noted, still watching the fight.  
"Does he really need to be?" Matt's father asked.  
"Well, not really..." the red beetle replied... "And what was that about a pizza?"  
  
"RAAH!" Benjamon shouted, slamming his glowing fists into a Bakemon and leaping through the hole. He dashed off down the hallway, moving fast.  
  
"After him!" one of the remaining ghosts shouted, giving chase for several yards before realizing he was alone. "What are you waiting for?"   
One of the smarter spooks spoke up... "You saw what he did!"  
One of the dumber spooks added, "Maybe he went to get the pizza."  
"Would you rather face Myotismon if he finds out we haven't been doing our jobs?" the first Bakemon demanded.  
  
As one, the Bakemon flew after the retreating Benjamon.  
  
Running down the green hallway, Benjamon swerved to the left side of the hall and jumped, hitting the corner at an angle, and ran in a curve along the vertical wall, turning his momentum and body around to run straight back at the line of Bakemon.   
  
Startled by the charge, the white ghost Digimon became even paler as they scrambled to get out of the way.   
  
Bakemon, however, are not known for being incredibly quick and agile.  
  
The white sheets, holed and torn, careened into the sides of the hall, one flying out through the plate glass at the far end before deleting.   
  
Izzy looked through the window... "Hey, Tentomon! The others are here!"   
"Let's go out and greet them, then!" Tentomon said, heading for the elevator.  
  
Outside, the Digi-Destined had gathered: Matt and Garurumon, Sora and Lilymon flew in on Garudamon. Joe, TK, and Wizardmon showed up soon after on the newly Digivolved Zudomon.   
"What was that?" TK asked, pointing to the sky-blackening bits of data that had so recently been Bakemon.   
"Some guy came along and just started hurling Bakemon left and right!" Izzy exclaimed. "That's all that's left."  
Matt and Sora looked at each other. "Looks like that Benjamon passed through." Sora said, watching the last of the solid black data cloud disappear.   
"And went berserk." Matt added.  
  
"Anyway, the tower's clear of Bakemon, so we should go and find the fog generator." Izzy explained after Wizardmon had restored Lilymon.   
  
Demidevimon had left to inform Myotismon of his 'Successful capture of the Eighth child' and left Kari guarded by a pair of Bakemon. Both guards were bored, and quickly fell asleep. They didn't even notice when Benjamon ground them to bits and bytes.   
  
"Kari!" Benjamon said with relief. "I'm sorry, I was delayed. Are you all right?" he asked.  
"I'm fine. Demidevimon left..." Kari answered.  
"I see... Let me find someplace to hide... Maybe up in the rafters..." he said, looking up at the high roof of the sphere, crossed with girders.   
"What?" Kari said, confused.   
"I don't want to be seen before I know what I am up against. I can only stop Myotismon if I can catch him by surprise..." Benjamin explained, jumping onto a cabinet and climbing up to the top. A quick leap, and he disappears into the shadows of the ceiling.  
  
Moments later, a cloud of bats formed on the ceiling, a seething mass of flapping black wings. Inside the cloud, a figure drifted down... Black boots, blue trousers and doublet, black and red cape, high collar, and a purple batwinged mask. "Nice fashion sense... for the 1300's." Benjamon thought to himself. Myotismon held Gatomon by the scruff of her neck, and the cat's large blue oval eyes were filled with such sadness and despair... Stifling a sniffle of sympathy, Benjamon quickly shifted around among the support beams to move behind Myotismon and await a chance to strike. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Digi-Destined enter the building.  
  
Below, Myotismon interrogated Kari and Gatomon.  
  
"Why did you come, little girl?" the vampire asked, looking down at the eighth child.   
  
"You were hurting people, and I couldn't allow that." Kari answered firmly, looking Myotismon straight in the eye.  
  
"What?" Myotismon seemed momentarily stunned at the girl's assertiveness in his presence. Didn't she KNOW she was going to die?  
  
"You were hurting people to find me, so I came here so you wouldn't hurt anyone else!" Kari retorted vehemently.   
  
The Digital Lord of the Undead blinked, then chortled. "What a responsible child!" he exclaimed, then held Gatomon up and asked, "Why don't you look at the eighth Digi-destined, Gatomon?"  
  
"Because she's not the eight child," Gatomon lied quickly, her voice not even quavering as she refused to look at Kari, "I don't know who she is."  
  
"Lot of spunk for such a small Digimon," Benjamin thought admiringly, "Just like Kari, but I guess that's to be expected..."  
  
Myotismon sneered. "Oh, really?" he asked, snapping his fingers.  
  
Demidevimon cackled as he swept down on Kari, yanking and clawing at her brown hair with stumpy, evil talons as Myotismon looked on. Kari screamed shrilly, trying to bat Demidevimon away.  
  
"KARI!" Gatomon yelled, blowing her story as her instinctive protectiveness kicked in. Benjamon punched an unoffending girder in frustration.   
  
"Odd that you should know her name, Gatomon, if you don't know who she is." Myotismon smiled, revealing more fang than normal.  
  
Gatomon wrenched herself free of Myotismon's grip, and threw herself in front of Kari. The large, piercing blue eyes of the cat Digimon saw Benjamon getting ready to jump on Myotismon, and widened.  
  
Myotismon laughed again. "Now that you're both here, I can destroy you easily."  
  
Benjamon waved his hands and mouthed "No!" to Gatomon, who was still watching him, her mouth slightly agape as she tried to focus on both Digimon at once.  
  
"Eh?" Myotismon snarled, spinning around to follow Gatomon's gaze. "A spy? An assassin?"   
Benjamon had moved further back as his cover was blown by the piercing indigo eyes of the white cat. Crouching on a girder directly above the vampire, he hoped that he hadn't been seen...  
  
"Or a diversion?" Myotismon finished, scanning the roof supports.  
  
"Once the other Digi-Destined get here, you won't stand a chance, Myotismon!" Kari asserted.  
  
"Hmmm... Then I'll just finish you now, little girl! GRISTLY WING!"  
Before Myotismon had drawn back his cloak to unleash his bats, a tinny voice shouted:  
"Tentomon Digivolve to... KABUTERIMON!"   
A giant, evil looking roach appeared underneath the girder grid, startling Benjamon so greatly that he fell off his perch and held on to the beam with his fingertips.  
"ELECTROSHOCKER!" Kabuterimon called, creating a ball of crackling blue and purple electricity that cut through the air en route to Myotismon.  
"FLOWER...CANNON!" a feminine voice called, the speaker hidden from sight behind a steel I-beam. The luminous green light of the shell, however, was easy to see.  
  
"Bah!" Myotismon snorted, blowing a puff of air at the incoming attacks.  
  
Electricity and plant energy flew upwards, moved from their course by that single breath of the vampire lord.  
  
"mother!" Benjamon whimpered, goldenrod eyes wide with terror as the green and blue raced towards the roof.  
  
Buildings throughout the city shuddered as the attacks exploded violently against the roof of the spherical structure. The cataclysmic blast opened a gaping hole in the ceiling of the television station, and blew out all of the windows of the observation platform; debris evaporated or was scattered like straw in a tornado.  
  
The Digi-Destined gasped as Myotismon telekinetically lifted Kari, Gatomon and himself out through the hole, Demidevimon flapping rapidly to catch up to his master.  
  
"Weregarurumon! Go!" Matt shouted, and the werewolf jumped through one of the broken windows onto the platform where Myotismon landed.  
  
Garudamon saw the cloaked vampire lord fly outwards, and picked up Zudomon by one of his shell spines, lifting him up to a nearby roof top. "We're here to destroy you, Myotismon!" she bellowed, flexing her arms menacingly while Zudomon slapped his hammerhead into his open fist.  
  
"How nice!" Myotismon sneered, flaring his cloak about him dramatically with an evil laugh. "I don't feel threatened by a bird and turtle-dog. Go home, and I'll destroy you later!"  
  
"Kabuterimon Digivolve to... MEGAKABUTERIMON!"   
  
From the observation platform, Izzy shouted "Get Kari, Megakabuterimon!"  
  
"HORN BUSTER!" the gigantic atlas beetle roared, flying toward Myotismon.  
  
From the fog, Benjamin watched as Myotismon casually redirected the awesome mass of Megakabuterimon's charge at Weregarurumon, the vampire laughing as the wolf fell over the side, clinging to the edge of the platform. A flash of red light knocked the werewolf from his precarious clawhold, and the warrior fell to the ground with a crash.  
  
As an observer, Benjamon was currently terrible. The explosion had been survivable by using the steel beams as a shield, but his hearing and nerves were shot to Hades. Looking on and trembling, he watched Wizardmon blast Myotismon from behind... throw something small and shiny to Kari... "Got to pull together..." he groaned above the ringing in his head. "Om mani padme h'um... Om mani padme h'um..." he chanted quietly and slowly, repeating the Tibetan Buddhist chant to focus his mind.  
  
Time seemed to slow for him as the chant became faster, and more agitated.  
Slowly, Myotismon turned to Wizardmon...  
"Om mani padme h'um... Om mani padme h'um!"   
The ringing in his head faded as Myotismon retaliated with a ball of violent violet energy...  
"OM MANI PADME H'UM! OM MANI PADME H'UM!"  
More focus... more focus... the whiskers on Gatomon's face became clear, every detail of Wizardmon being hurled against the wall recorded by his eyes...  
"OM MANI PADME H'UM! OM MANI PADME H'UM!"  
Tai and Greymon appeared... Tai threw Kari's Digivice to her...So slow...Demidevimon's dive to take the Digivice away reduced to a relative inching.  
  
"Greymon Digivolve to... METALGREYMON!" The roar broke up the chant, and Benjamon was on his feet, time flowing at the usual clip.  
  
"GIGA BLASTER!" Metalgreymon bellowed, chest plate opening to launch the large, gunmetal gray missiles at the digital vampire.  
  
Raising his palms, Myotismon simply dissolved the attack, breaking the explosives down to particles of black data.  
  
"HORN BUSTER!" Megakabuterimon tried again, sending a jagged bolt of electricity at Myotismon.  
"VULCAN'S HAMMER!" Zudomon smashed his large hammer against the platform and emitting an energy beam.  
"WING BLADE!" Garudamon tensed her body, then unleashed a scintillating bird of fire that flew at the cloaked ultimate.  
"FLOWER CANNON!" Lilymon cried, sending the glowing green shell at Myotismon.  
  
Myotismon laughed and dispersed all the attacks simultaneously.  
  
TK and Patamon looked at each other and nodded decisively.  
"Patamon Digivolve to... ANGEMON!"  
  
Myotismon winced back from the holy light of Angemon, and fell to his knees with the Hand of Fate Angemon leveled at him. Benjamon couldn't hear what was happening, and sneaked up as close as he dared.  
"...about to ask you the same question! GRISTLY WING!" Myotismon attacked Kari and Gatomon again, intent on disrupting the prophecy that had lead the Digi-Destined into action.  
  
Wizardmon jumped in front of the blast, sacrificing himself for Gatomon.  
  
Watching the events from the shadows, Benjamon nodded to himself, crouched, then launched himself at the hazy cloak in the fog.  
Even as Wizardmon spoke his final words to Gatomon, Myotismon fell to one knee, drawing the attention of some of the Digi-Destined and their Digimon.   
"WHO DARES TO STRIKE ME?" Myotismon bellowed, spinning around, only to be met with a roundhouse kick to his face, and a fist driven into his stomach. Myotismon flinched, but only slightly. The evil virus Digimon looked down and smiled at Benjamon, who was still trying to hammer Myotismon into defeat. "Well done, human. You caught me by surprise. How unfortunate that your courage is no match for my power." Myotismon sneered, picking Benjamon up by the throat and hurling him through the plate glass of an office building across the street from the tower.  
"We've got to help him!" cried Sora, looking at the shattered glass.   
"Actually, I think this Benjamon character might just be buying the time we need to figure out how to defeat Myotismon. Observe!" Said Izzy, watching as the humanoid stood up, ran towards the shattered glass, and leapt the twenty-foot gap, landing in front of the undead lord of the Digiworld.  
"Bravo... Should I applaud?" Myotismon said, dripping with sarcasm.   
"If you like. But never call me 'human'... I am a Digimon." Benjamon replied, strangely calm.  
"When I destroy you, I won't have to call you ANYTHING!" Myotismon shouted, "CRIMSON LIGHTNING!" Great whips of red light formed in Myotismon's hands, and slashed downwards towards the rookie Digimon, who was...   
Ten feet out of Myotismon's attack range.  
"Again, Well done." Myotismon said with a toothy smile, advancing, and snapping his whips at the cornered Benjamon. No matter how quickly he swung, he couldn't hit the annoyance that had kicked him in the back. When he slashed for the head, Benjamon ducked underneath the shimmering red cords. When he attacked the legs, Benjamon jumped over, pulling down one eyelid and giving the ol' Bronx cheer to Myotismon. Even when Myotismon tried sweeping his whips in parallel to remove his unlikely opponent's head and knees, Benjamon jumped and rolled directly between the Crimson Lightning attack. Attacking to the left and right met only air and concrete as Benjamon's figure blurred with the speed of his dodges.  
  
"Look at him go!" shouted Joe. "See, not all guys with glasses are clumsy!" he blinked, a large sweat bead forming on the back of his head as he realized everyone was looking at him. "Well... I..."  
  
"We never said you were clumsy, Joe." Mimi said, putting her hand on his shoulder.  
"You are quick, fool. But no matter how fast you are, you can't dodge this!" Myotismon growled. "GRISTLY WING!" hundreds of jet-black bats flew out of his cloak, weaving about each other as they rushed towards Benjamon.  
  
"I don't have to dodge." Benjamon responded, breathing heavily. "CHAAAAIN BLASTER!" Benjamon held his hands out in front of him, and baseball sized orbs of pure white light shot forth from each hand in rapid succession, like a machine gun firing stars. Each orb hit a bat and exploded silently, taking the bat with it. In a few moments, the entire swarm had been disintegrated.   
  
"Did you see that?!" shouted T.K. "That was AWESOME!"   
  
"We've seen that even a co-operative effort of our Digimon doesn't get to Myotismon. We need another plan!" Izzy said urgently.   
  
"Why aren't we helping, Tai?" Metalgreymon growled from the rooftop next to the bridge.  
"None of us could get through, but he's been doing better because he's not as big a target, or something..."   
"You are strong, foolish one. But even the strong have fears and terrors... I wonder what yours are?" Myotismon sneered. "NIGHTMARE CLAW!" A wall of blackness swept across the platform towards Benjamon.  
  
"CHAAAIN BLASTER!" He cried, but the spheres of light were swallowed by the encroaching shadow. "Ooh, Sh...AAAAAAAUGGH!" Benjamon screamed as the darkness moved over, around, and through him.  
  
"Oh, no!" gasped Lilymon, remembering how same attack affected her. "How horrible!"  
  
Benjamon's face lost its color, his entire body and clothing turning shades of gray as images of terrors and fears bombarded, assaulted him. Falling to his knees, Benjamon screamed again, before collapsing forward on his face, his glasses bouncing off and sliding along the platform.   
  
"What a dork, right, Myotismon?" Demidevimon cackled, picking up the glasses in his free talons. "Look!" Demidevimon said, putting the glasses on over his own round, golden eyes. "I'm a Digimon who can beat Myotismon by hitting him with my marshmallowy fists and feet!" the little Digimon cackled, making a great show of pretending to kick Myotismon. "Chain Blaster! Ha ha! Right, boss?" he asked, eagerly seeking Myotismon's approval.  
Myotismon watched Demidevimon and chuckled darkly, and turned back to Gatomon and Kari, his black cloak whirling out. "Very good, Demidevimon." He said, turning his blue eyes on the girl and cat, who were still standing defiant of his power.   
"Thank you, Lord Myotismon!" gloated the brown-nosing Demidevimon, removing Benjamon's glasses and holding them in his talons.  
"Now, little Gatomon. There is no one left to save you. You turned on me, and by doing so, forfeit your existence." Intoned Myotismon, preparing to attack. "NIGHTMARE..."  
  
  
"NO!" Kari screamed, and a muted voice from the collapsed Benjamon echoed...  
"no..."  
  
Suddenly Demidevimon cried out: "OW! These things are HOT!" as Kari's Digivice and Benjamon's glasses suddenly glowed with radiant white light. The evil Digimon dropped the two items, and tried to nurse his feet. Benjamon's glasses moved of their own free will back to Benjamon, whose hand guards and silver Digivice (still in his pocket) emitted the same pure light.  
  
"No!" Myotismon gasped, fear creeping into his dark soul, "Not her!"  
  
"Gatomon Digivolve to..."   
Gatomon grew, changing shape from a small white cat to a glowing, winged female figure of shimmering white. Her hair became long and blond as a winged metal helmet descended onto her head, covering her strikingly blue eyes. A winged glove appeared to slip over her left hand, while boots of white feathers and gold slipped on over her feet. A golden breastplate (literally) covered her chest while a figure-hugging white leotard preserved modesty.  
"ANGEWOMAN!"  
  
This was not the only Digivolution occurring, though... In the rubble where Benjamon lay, tiny bursts of light, like thousands of flashbulbs, cascaded across the collapsed figure, restoring color to any part of his body they touched.  
  
"Benjamon Digivolve to..."  
The rookie Digimon stood up, and glowed intensely, the shape in the light changing. It doubled in height, and tripled in width. Skin turned to thick green scales, and his right eye darkened as it grew into a triangular black void where no light shone. The figure remained humanoid, but the jaws lengthened slightly and nose vanished, the expanding fingers and toes ending in claw-like points. Benjamon's hand guards and glasses melted into a pool of quicksilver, flowing upwards around his head and forming a mask that covered his mouth and the left side of his face, forming a loose grid of wire mesh over the left eye before wrapping around the right side to rejoin at the mouth. Finally, the new figure's head, hands, and feet burst into flames that continued to shine after the shape settled down into Benjamon's Champion Digivolved form.  
((PSISAUROMON!))  
  
Immediately, the fog around the war zone began to burn away in the heat of the flames, the entire area becoming warmer.  
  
"Oh no!" shrieked Mimi, "It's Skullmamemon again!"  
  
"No, it isn't!" Izzy replied, typing furiously at his computer.  
The Digimon Analyzer appeared on the screen:  
  
ANGEWOMAN:  
Gatomon's Ultimate form. She has two attacks, 'Celestial Arrow' and 'Heaven's Gift'.  
  
"And the other one?" Matt asked, finally speaking up.  
  
PSISAUROMON:  
Champion Digimon. Possible Psionic Reptile Digimon. Cannot speak; Uses telepathy to communicate. While using psychic abilities, the voided eye will turn pure white. The flames on his head, hands, and feet are identical to the fires of the sun. He has two attacks, 'Corona Flare' and 'Psi-Shield'.  
  
Myotismon looked up at the majestic Angewoman, and bared his teeth in anger.  
"BOSS! BOSS!" Demi-Devimon screamed at Myotismon. "Look out!"  
((Pardon me, sir...)) The words were silent, yet everyone heard. ((I believe we have unfinished business))  
"What??" Myotismon whirled, and stared straight into a chest of green scales that flowed over hardened muscles. Looking up, he saw the light and winced... "Sunlight?! H...How?" he gasped, staggering away.  
((Ahh...so the classical mythology of vampires is true...)) Psisauromon thought. ((Your biggest mistake was using your nightmare claw on me... I saw you as ruler of a hopeless world, and could not allow that to become true... YOU made me Digivolve.))  
Myotismon wrapped his cloak about him tightly, to keep the light out.  
"He's weakened by the light!" Angemon shouted. "Let's go!"  
((Wait... let me hurt him a little first, please?))  
Angemon looked around, and the others shook their heads... "No!" they all shouted.   
"We want this to end now!" Tai yelled from Metalgreymon's side, and the other Digi-Destined nodded in agreement. "Right!"  
((Awww... I'll hold him still, then...)) a sibilant, hissing laugh emerged from the nostril holes in Psisauromon's mask. ((Figure out how to defeat him in one shot, I don't know if I could dodge all your attacks at once...))  
  
"That's simple." Angewoman announced in a dulcet tone... "HEAVEN'S CHARM!"  
A bright shimmering green ball appeared above her head, casting an unearthly glow about the battlefield.   
"Hey! I feel my powers getting stronger!" roared Metalgraymon.  
"Mine, too!" Zudomon agreed.  
"Yeah!" Weregarurumon snarled.  
  
Psisauromon advanced on Myotismon, cracking his huge flaming knuckles. ((I must thank you, Myotismon. I like this form...I always wanted to look like a body builder.))  
Myotismon held his cloak up over his eyes. "I cannot end like this... Must ...Win..." he wheezed... "CRIMSON LIGHTNING!" Again, red whips appeared, and flashed toward Psisauromon.   
((PSI-SHIELD!))   
The dark right eye of Psisauromon blazed white as flames erupted in front of him, then slowed down, freezing into a solid white barrier. Myotismon's whips bounced off the wall harmlessly. The eye that wasn't flashed again and the barrier sped toward Myotismon, catching him head-on like a runaway Mack truck, flattening the weakened vampire and forcing him to the ground.   
Sora winced... "That looks painful."  
((Anything else? Last stands, pleas of mercy?))  
Myotismon shuddered... "Last... Chance." he gasped to himself. "YOU WILL DIE! NIGHTMARE CLAW!" he screamed. Again, the black aura swept towards Psisauromon.   
((Now, I will show YOU true terror!)) ((CORONA FLARE!))  
The flames of Psisauromon's appendages leapt up higher, and spiraled out in front of him, creating a beam of pure white light and heat, blasting through the encroaching wall of darkness.   
At that moment, all seven original Digimon focused their attacks on Angewoman's 'Heaven's Charm'  
"FLOWER CANNON!" cried Lilymon, shooting a luminescent green ball.  
"WING BLADE!" yelled Garudamon, creating a scintillating firebird.  
"VULCAN'S HAMMER!" Zudomon bellowed, smashing his mallet into the ground and creating a beam of energy.  
"WOLF CLAW!" Weregarurumon snarled, slashing out an 'x' of red energy with his claws.  
"HORN BUSTER!" rumbled Megakabuterimon, releasing a bolt of electrical power from his massive horn.  
"HAND OF FATE!" Angemon yelled, emitting a beam of holy purity from his fist.  
"GIGA BLASTER!" Metalgraymon roared, firing steel-gray missiles from his breastplate.  
  
All seven attacks sped toward the spinning, shining sphere above Angewoman's head, adding their strength to hers.  
  
"CELESTIAL ARROW!" Angewoman yelled, the wings on her left glove extending into a bow while she nocked the bolt of radiant purifying light and fired at Myotismon's black heart.  
  
The arrow and beam of solar fire hit Myotismon simultaneously, one piercing his body, the other wrapping around him, setting him ablaze. "NO...IT CANNOT BE!" he shrieked, his body shattering and igniting, leaving behind his blue mask as the only evidence of his presence. A dark Demidevimon swooped down and snatched the mask, spiriting it away before anyone could reach it.  
  
The fires of Psisauromon banked down to their original heights, covering his hands, feet and head in wreaths of flame. Psisauromon glowed, and returned form to Benjamon. The fog instantly rushed back over the tower, which seemed odd to him, but because of his exhaustion he couldn't think why. He took a step and stumbled, looking dazedly around him. Managing to walk over to a large piece of broken concrete, and sat down on the rough surface.   
"What a rush!" he exulted, then blinked wearily. Leaning back on the block, he fell asleep before any of the Digi-Destined or the Digimon reached him.  
  
  
Hope you liked it; I am striving to be one of the better fanfic writers around. Please send comments to Drowzee1@hotmail.com and I'll try to improve my stories. (I am aware that I have misspelled Garurumon and Weregarurumon, but I thought I was correct at the time as I wrote from memory.) Abusive mails will be summarily ignored. Let's keep things positive.  
  
My next episode will be "Fate's Decree" in which Agumon and Gabumon will go Mega and defeat Venomyotismon, and Benjamon/Psisauromon will not be fighting at all, but involved in discovering more about...well, you'll just have to read it. After that, I have the Dark Masters episodes on tape, so conversion to the new storyline will go much more quickly.  



	4. Fate's Decree

Fate's Decree  
  
Scene: The rubble around the battlefield of Myotismon's death. Benjamon snoozes, exhausted from a combination of exertion, sleepless nights, and Digivolving to Psisauromon. The Digi-Destined and their Digimon are celebrating over their victory.  
  
  
Benjamon shifted in the pile of rubble, dust cascading off his blue jeans and long-sleeved gray shirt. The ninth Digivice he mysteriously possessed was clipped on his waistband, a gleaming square of mirror polished chrome.  
Kari looked over at the softly snoring, brown-hair teenager who had come out of nowhere to help. "Should we wake him up?" she asked, turning back to her friends and brother.   
"I estimate he expended energy in excess of 20 million kilocalories to get here and fight," Izzy stated, typing at his computer, "And even with what our Digimon can output during Digivolution and attacking, that rating surpasses them by an approximate multiple of five hundred thousand." Numbers flashed across Izzy's screen.  
"In English, please?" Tai asked, scratching his head.  
"I think he means that running all the way here from across the Pacific and then taking on Myotismon alone for as long as he did is very tiring, and we should let him sleep." Joe said, taking Benjamon's glasses off and inspecting them. "Hmm. Nice frames."  
"Precisely correct, Joe." Izzy agreed.  
"What we should do is get him a new set of clothes!" Mimi said, "Grey and blue is just so 1990's!"   
"If he's asleep, he can't give us problems. I don't trust him." Matt said gruffly, crossing his arms and looking away.   
  
"Hey! I got an E-mail from Gennai!" Izzy suddenly exclaimed, bringing up the message.  
Everyone crowded around the small screen of the pineapple computer to see...  
A small animation of the wizened old Digimon appeared on Izzy's desktop, jumping and waving its arms.   
"Hello, there!" the computer said in Gennai's voice. "I've just finished translating an ancient tablet that has a very interesting message!" The screen switched to display a rough, sort of golden-brown wall with runes inscribed in it. "Now, this may look like a graham cracker, but it isn't! It's a tablet that has a message written on it!" Odd white characters popped up and scrolled across the bottom of the screen. "It says: At the hour of the beast, the fallen shall chant the name of the undead king of the Digiworld, and he will return. Then, angels will shoot arrows of light and hope   
"People will chant the name of the undead king. The sky will be darkened with the wings of many bats. The clock will strike the hour of the beast. Then, angels of hope and light will shoot arrows at their loved ones, and a miracle will happen. Please recycle."  
  
  
The Digi-Destined left, and Benjamon slept on.  
  
A great peal of thunder rolled over the city, and Benjamon sat up in surprise. "Huh?" He checked his Digivice for the time. Ten minutes after six. He looked around, and saw no one on the roof. "Hello? Anyone?" he called, standing up, then stretching. The thunder rolled a second time, and Benjamon scratched his head... "Wait... That isn't thunder..." he waited. The booming noise echoed above the city again. "That's LAUGHTER!" he whirled around, and saw a great demonic shape tower above the ruins of the city. "What in the Digiworld?" he gasped, and jumped off the building.  
  
The air whistled about his plummeting body, cold and refreshing. He didn't bend his knees with the impact when he hit the ground; rather, the cement about him shattered explosively, radiating cracks from underneath his feet.   
Benjamon stood for several moments, looking about the piles of debris. He saw a small flash of red, and ran.  
"Here it is!" he proudly said to himself, dusting off a battered backpack and pulling it on over his shoulders. "I hope I'm not late for... whatever is happening out there."   
Benjamon dashed off towards the huge, bat-winged shape in the gloom.   
He loped smoothly through the empty streets, hurtling abandoned cars and fallen towers. Soon, the shape of the creature gave way to a definite image, and Benjamon skidded to a halt...  
"MYOTISMON?!"  
  
Benjamon looked up at the masked face of Venomyotismon and gaped. He then saw Angemon and Angewoman getting ready to fire, and smiled, briefly, before realizing they weren't aiming for the demon, but for...  
"TAI MATT!" He shouted, any other words or punctuation lost as his thoughts stopped and he began to run as fast as he could towards the two Digi-Destined, jumped to knock them out of the way...  
And disappeared.  
  
stop.  
  
Benjamon's arms closed about nothing. In fact, there was nothing. Black. Void. Abyss. He could see himself, but that was it.   
  
who are you?  
  
Words hung in the emptiness, produced of emptiness, making Benjamon feel he was reading them, for he heard no sounds.   
"Uh... I am Benjamon..." he said meekly, then stood up, lay down, or maybe stood on his head in the absence of any reference point. He composed himself and continued. "Who are you? If you brought me here for conversation, I'd at least like something to address."  
  
remove your backpack.  
  
"What? ... ... Well, why not." He mumbled to himself, sliding the straps off and pushing his pack away from him.   
  
The straps of the pack twisted into loops that started to glow, and the bag unzipped, his belongings pushed together.   
  
"You've got to be kidding..." Benjamon said, blinking at the absurd face in front of him.  
  
you asked for an avatar.   
  
The unzipped mouth of the backpack face opened and closed in time with the words, the glowing loop eyes blinking every so often.  
  
"I changed my mind. Unpersonify my pack, and just... talk? To me." He said, reaching for his possessions, which suddenly returned to a mundane state.  
  
very well. what are you?  
  
"Wait! You never answered my question!" Benjamon exclaimed as he put his pack on again.  
  
we are the creators.   
  
"Of what?" Benjamon asked, looking at the void ironically.  
  
you must answer first.  
  
"I am a Digimon, all right?"   
  
we did not create you.  
  
"So you created the Digiworld?"  
  
yes. where are you from?  
  
"America, why should that matter to you?"  
  
we are the creators. we know all Digimon. we do not know you. where are you from?  
  
"I already said! America, didn't you hear me?"  
  
we hear. where are you from?  
  
"Look! I just...oh. You don't mean... I don't know where I came from."  
  
we understand. do you have a question?  
  
"Huh? Um. Why am I here," Benjamon started, then hastily added, "In this void?"  
  
you were about to interfere.  
  
"In what?"  
  
in destiny.   
  
"Greaaat." Benjamon said sarcastically. "That makes it nice and specific." He snorted soundlessly. "What destiny?"  
  
that of the Digi-Destined. why did you try to stop them from completing the prophecy?  
  
"Prophecy? What prophecy?"  
  
answer.   
  
"Because I was afraid they'd get hurt. What prophecy?!"  
  
that the defeat of Venomyotismon would require that Tai and Matt would be shot by arrows of light to create the conditions for their Digimon to warp-Digivolve to mega level.  
  
"And you stopped me because I would have changed their destiny, is that it?" Benjamon asked, crossing his arms across his chest and possibly tapping his foot impatiently.  
  
yes. we cannot allow interference in an event so important. you are unknown to us. we know you want to help, but cannot be sure that you won't change the path of destiny from the desired course. do you understand?  
  
"Yes, of course I do! This is simple. Temporal paradoxes are another story. So, are you planning to keep me in limbo forever?" Benjamon sighed, taking out a book from his backpack.  
  
no. we will let you go with the Digi-Destined. we will be watching. you will know when you should not interfere.  
  
"That's a relief. Say, could you return me to a place away from the battlefield? If I am to go with the Digi-Destined, I should go get some supplies." Benjamon said hopefully, returning the book to a pocket.   
  
we can. you have another question?  
  
Benjamon paused. "Could you find out... where I am from, if not your design?"  
  
we can try, little Benjamon.  
  
Benjamon winced. "Don't call me that. Can we get a move on, then?"  
  
farewell, Benjamon. we will watch.  
  
Benjamon suddenly reappeared in the real world, standing against a wall.   
"Interesting... I'm outside of fate...Ankha, like Sparhawk." He murmured, then set off in search of a store to buy supplies or, if need be, loot.  
  
Benjamon ignored the sounds of battle, and visited pharmacies, sporting good stores, an abandoned supermarket... he paid where possible and stole where convenient. He was, after all, going to be going with the Digi-Destined, and who knew what they would need.  
  
Venomyotismon was defeated; his particles scattered to the wind. The deadly interface between the Digiworld and the real world had formed, and the Digi-Destined were going back. A large circle of rainbow light had formed from the Digivices, and Joe had just managed to get himself caught upside down in the light.   
  
"Hey! Wait up!" Benjamon yelled, running up with a huge red camping backpack.  
"Not HIM again!" Matt grumbled, frowning slightly.  
"Pardon me, Ma'am. Sir..." Benjamon apologized, running around Matt and T.K.'s divorced parents.   
  
Upon reaching the edge of the circle, Benjamon's Digivice glowed, sending up a silver spiral around the rainbow beam.   
  
"Wait!" T.K.'s mother cried, "You were the one who nearly knocked me off the dock!"   
Benjamon turned, and bowed, suddenly started pinwheeling his arms, and fell to the ground under the enormous pack. "Yes, and I'm sorry, I was in a bit of a hurry to help your sons..." he said, picking himself up. . "I swear that I'll do my best to protect them from harm."   
"I don't know if I can trust you, but...Thank you." she murmured, and Benjamon dashed back to the circle to hop in along with the other Digimon and Digi-Destined who were already saying their good-byes.   
"Good-bye, earth." He said, quietly, having no one to say a farewell to.   
  
The Digi-Destined ascended on a rainbow, and the one without a destiny merely rode along, a single tear in his golden eye.  



	5. Round Robin of the Dark Masters

Round Robin of the Dark Masters  
  
Scene: A dark forest in the Digiworld. The Digi-Destined have come across the interface to restore balance to the Digiworld, and by doing so, save their world.   
  
"Well, I guess we're back in the Digiworld."  
"Gloomy, isn't it?" Benjamon remarked, already standing.  
"It's dark!" TK said, looking around.  
"Weird." Matt added, his eyes glancing upward, and then locking...  
"Hey! Look up there!" Sora cried, and all eyes turned up to the sky.  
A vision of the earth filled the sky from horizon to horizon.  
"Could that be earth?" Joe asked quietly  
"It would not seem unreasonable to assume that we could see earth from the Digiworld just as we saw the Digiworld from earth." Izzy said, typing at his computer.  
"Are you trying to contact Gennai?" Tentomon inquired.  
"Well, I'm not playing solitaire."  
  
Benjamon stood to the side, gazing up at the suspended earth. "Wonder how far away we really are," he murmurs, reaching up to scratch his nose. "Holy!!...Izzy, what do you make of these?" he asked the presiding computer whiz, holding his hands out.  
  
Izzy turned and nearly fell on his back as he stared down the length of three silvery blades and three stout spikes. "Hey! Careful!" he gasped, his right hand covering his heart.   
"Sorry..." Benjamon murmured. He set a pair of metal gloves on the ground next to Izzy, and looked over at the other Digi-Destined, who had come over to see what the commotion was.   
"Not very fashionable," Mimi observed, prodding the gauntlet with her toe, "Far too medieval for my taste."  
"Wicked! Look at those claws!" Tai grinned, trying to pick the bladed glove up.   
"I'd really rather not, if it's all the same to you..." Joe said, shuddering, "I never liked weapons."  
Tai continued to try lifting the gauntlet. "Ung! I can't move it!" he said, straining.  
Sora looked at Benjamon. "You mean those silver bands weren't a part of you?" she asked.  
"No." the humanoid Digimon replied, stooping over to take the triad of blades off the ground. "Hmm... Seems light enough..."  
Izzy, who had been typing at his pineapple again, suddenly spoke up. "They aren't a part of his program, but they are his crests. Made of Digizoid Chrome, no less."  
"What?" said TK, pulling out the small crest of Hope out from under his shirt. "You mean like ours?"  
This caused everyone to look closer.  
"Well, if you look at the back, you can see symbols..." Kari murmured, "One on each glove!"   
"If I'm reading this correctly," Izzy began, "The left-handed gauntlet, the one with the knuckle spikes, is the crest of Justice. The right-handed gauntlet with the foot-long blades is the crest of Honor. And finally... Your glasses are the crest of Compassion."   
  
"Why three crests?" Matt asked.  
"We only got one apiece!" Mimi added, taking out her crest of Sincerity and looking at it. "Palmon?"  
"Yes, Mimi?" the cactus-like rookie replied.  
"When you were Lilymon, you never did get around to telling me what was wrong with my fashion sense."   
"Oh, sorry, Mimi."  
Mimi smiled, and hugged Palmon. "It's all right, we have lots of time!"  
  
"Where did they come from, Benjamon?" Tai asked.  
"I guess they are my hand guards, because the design is the same...I wonder..." he said, slipping the gauntlets back on, "If I can change them back..." He sat down, leaning against his backpack slightly as he regarded the silver weapons. The Digi-Destined looked closely as the seconds dragged on into minutes...  
"This is boring, and gets us nowhere!" Matt grumped, turning his back to the others.  
"Hey! Something's happening!" TK yelled.  
  
Under Benjamon's steady gaze, the blades and spikes shrank, the metal beginning to glow faintly and whirl, moving down onto his hands, and slowly changing back into the chevrons of his hand guards.  
"Sorry it took so long..." Benjamon apologized, "But now that I know what to do, I think I can change them back and forth more quickly."  
  
"Still doesn't help us in the slightest." Matt frowned, walking around the small clearing.  
  
"I agree," Joe nodded, "Hey... Where's Gomamon?"  
  
"Gomamon! Where are you?" Joe called, cupping his hands to his mouth.  
"I'm right here, Joe!" said the little, somewhat seal-like Digimon, appearing out of Joe's gymbag.   
Managed to look slightly miffed, crossing his arms and turning slightly away as he spoke. "Well, that's just grea...AUGH!" He stumbled back as a pinkish blur sped into the tall grass nearby.  
The ground crumbled under him, and Joe scrabbled for a handhold as the earth caved in.   
"JOE!" Gomamon shouted, charging toward the crevasse. The other Digimon, except for Benjamon, ran with Gomamon  
"Koromon Digivolve to... Agumon!"  
"Tsukomon Digivolve to... Gabumon!"  
"Motimon Digivolve to... Tentomon!"  
"Tokomon Digivolve to... Patamon!"  
"Yokomon Digivolve to... Biyomon!"  
Salamon and Palmon, already in their rookie stages, ran after the others.  
"Wait!" Kari shouted, bringing the Digimon to a sudden halt, nearly bowling each other over in the process. Dashing ahead, Kari knelt down by the grass and calmly talked to the Digimon hiding inside..."Come out, Don't be afraid; You're among friends."  
Slowly the grass parted, and a haggard-looking pink mouse with a black ring around one eye fell to the ground.  
"Oh, my goodness!" Palmon exclaim, "It's Chumon!"  
"He looks terrible!" Mimi said, "He needs a major makeover!"  
  
The mouse Digimon stirred, and lifted his head feebly... "Palmon? Mimi?" it squeaked weakly.   
  
"Hey! Little help here?" Joe shouted, still holding on to the edge of the suddenly created cliff.   
"Oops! Sorry, Joe! Forgot all about...Huh. Well, never mind, I guess." Gomamon said, watching as Benjamon knelt and hauled Joe up single-handedly.  
"You all right, Joe?" he asked softly.  
"I'm fine, thanks. Joe replied, "Gomamon!"   
"Yes, Joe?" the Digimon replied.  
"How could you leave me there to hang by my elbows?"   
"Sorry, I guess I forgot..."   
"You forgot... YOU LEFT ME HANGING WHILE YOU WERE OFF IN LALA LAND?!"   
Gomamon looked slightly embarrassed. "Sorry..."  
Joe sighed... "It's ok. I forgive you."  
Gomamon looked at his clawed flippers and murmured under his breath as they rejoined the group. "Wonder what it's like to have elbows..."   
Joe, Benjamon and Gomamon walked back to the others, where the small voice of Chumon was just fading away.  
"Hey guys! Chumon says that there are four 'Dark Masters' who have taken over the Digiworld, and that they have created a base on top of Spiral Mountain." Sora explained, pointing to the swirling mix of city, cave, forest and ocean that spiraled up into the sky.  
Joe sighed again. "Color me cynical, but nothing about this place surprises me anymore."  
Benjamon shrugged. "So, what do we do?"  
"Defeat the Dark Masters, of course!" Tai said, smiling. "Let's go get 'em!" He and Agumon turned to head for Spiral Mountain, and the rest followed.  
  
Benjamon stopped... "Hey! Does anyone else feel... well, Odd? Like something bad is about to happen?" he said quietly. Everyone turned to look at him.  
"No, I don't feel anything." Tai said, shaking his head. The others nodded, even the constantly worried Joe.   
"You're just being paranoid." Matt said, civilly.  
"Maybe..." Benjamon muttered, his hand guards morphing into the bladed and spiked gauntlets.   
Joe looked around. "Let's get going... We aren't going to save the world just standing here."   
Mimi's eyes were bright as she looked at Joe. "That's such a heroic thing to say!" she breathed...  
Tai, Matt, and Benjamon rolled their eyes in unison.   
Joe flushed faintly, and scratched his head, smiling foolishly. "I was just saying what I thought, Mimi!" he said, the words rushing out.  
  
Before Mimi could respond, a loud, harsh laughter broke out around them.   
"I've been waiting for you, Digi-Destined!" a grating voice roared, as the ground in front of the eight children ruptured as a huge, partially armored snake appeared in front of them, spiraling it's neck around to look at them with large, cold eyes.  
  
"Oh no!" squeaked Chuumon, "It's Metalseadramon!"  
/*  
Digimon Analyzer (Beta version 2.3.0.4)  
  
Metalseadramon  
Type: Virus  
Level: Mega  
  
An armor-plated terror of the deep, Metalseadramon is a vicious and highly aggressive water dragon Digimon. He possesses some form of levitation ability, but is most dangerous in water.  
  
Attacks:   
River of Power: A slow charge Ki beam fired from the nose cannon.  
  
*/  
"In that case, let's RUN!" Joe shouted, and everyone took off as Metalseadramon circled around and dove after them.  
  
"BWA HA!" the giant wyrm laughed as he crashed through the ranks of the Digi-Destined. The crash scattered the Digi-Destined and their Digimon much in the way a child would destroy a leaf pile as they ran through. The Digi-Destined groaned and struggled to their feet...  
"If that's the way you want it, we can play rough, too!"... Matt said, struggling to his feet.  
"Let's go, Agumon!" Yelled Tai, pulling out his Digivice.  
"Gotcha!" Agumon agreed.  
All the Digimon Digivolved to Champion level, except for Benjamon, who had been hurled into a large knothole, and was stuck...  
"Agumon Digivolve to...GREYMON!"  
"Biyomon Digivolve to...BIRDRAMON!"  
"Tentomon Digivolve to...KABUTERIMON!"  
"Gabumon Digivolve to...GARURUMON!"  
"Palmon Digivolve to...TOGEMON!"  
"Gomamon Digivolve to...IKKAKUMON!"  
"Patamon Digivolve to...ANGEMON!"  
"Salamon Digivolve to...GATOMON!"  
"ARGH!" Benjamon shouted, bracing his feet against the tree to push.  
"Nova Blast!" Greymon roared, spitting a large fireball at Metalseadramon, who passed through the attack with no effort, and smashed into Greymon. The helmeted orange champion was flattened, falling over instantly.  
"Meteor Wing!"  
"Howling Blaster!"  
"Harpoon Torpedo!"   
"How about some Needle Spray? HAH!"  
"Electro Shocker!"  
"Hand of Fate!"  
"Thunder Claw!"  
  
Metalseadramon shrugged off the attacks without blinking, and rammed the champions, nearly eating Gatomon in the process.  
"Angemon!" TK yelled.  
"Oh, no! Gatomon!" Kari said, moving to her Digimon's side.  
Metalseadramon laughed again, loud and harsh. "You should know your powers are useless against me!" he gloated, circling overhead.  
"How come he's beating us so badly?!" cried Mimi, tending to Togemon.  
"Metalseadramon is a Mega Digimon, and even eight champions can't beat him!" Izzy replied.  
"But we SHOULD have NINE!" shouted Matt, glaring at the struggling Benjamon.  
"LOOK, IF I COULD FIGHT, I WOULD!" Benjamon roared, still pulling himself free.   
"Then we're lost without more power!" Tai exclaimed, standing over the fallen Greymon.  
"I JUST SAID I'M TRYING!" Benjamon shouted, his hand guards glowing and changing back into the gauntlets. "ARRRRGGGG! YAAAAAAAA!" he screamed, ripping the tree apart in his rage.  
"Benjamon Digivol..."  
"Now it's time to take one nasty ride!" Metalseadramon roared, his nose cannon glowing blue, shooting a beam that shredded the ground and sent the Digi-Destined down...  
  
It was foggy where they landed. Very foggy. There was green grass underneath, and gray all around. The Digi-Destined collapsed on the ground next to their Digimon, groaning. Benjamon had landed on his face, and was struggling to get to his feet. With a shudder, he dropped back to the ground, under the weight of his large backpack.   
Angemon and TK were talking.   
"TK, are you all right?" Angemon intoned, picking TK up in his arms.  
"I thought I was broken, but I guess I'm okay!" said the youngest member of the group.  
Angemon nodded and chuckled softly...  
"If anyone asks if I'm hurt, It'll be faster to list what doesn't feel battered..." Benjamon moaned...  
At this, Matt smiled quickly.  
  
An animalistic noise echoed from out of the fog.   
Angemon set TK down, and stood up.  
"What's the matter?" TK asked.  
"Wait. I'll be back." Angemon replied, flying off into the fog.  
"Don't go... Wait for me..." Benjamon murmured, still straining to get up.  
Suddenly, two lights appeared, and grew larger, moving fast toward Angemon, hitting the angel Digimon in a staggered pair. Angemon screamed once as he returned to Patamon.  
  
Benjamon unsteadily rose to his feet... "A mechanical dragon?" he asked, eyes shining in the dull light. "This one's m..." He disappeared, just as two more blasts from Machinedramon shattered the ground beneath the Digi-Destined...  
  
"Mine?" Benjamon finished, surrounded by white. Nothing but white. "Wh...Where am I?" he blinked, turning his head... "More importantly, where are the Digi-Destined??"   
  
You are in the matrices of the Digital world.  
  
"Not you again!" Benjamon cried out, going through the motions of sitting down heavily with out any chair or surface to sit upon.   
  
The Digi-Destined are safe.  
  
"What?"  
  
The Digi-Destined are safe.  
  
"How could they be safe? You know how Angemon got blasted by that mechanical dragon!"  
  
They are safe.   
  
"For all your power, you aren't very creative, are you?"  
  
We are creative, we are the creators.   
  
"Your use of capitalization has improved from when you abducted me on earth. Can I go now?"  
  
Thank you. No.  
  
"Why not?" Benjamon pouted, sullen and upset without being able to fight.  
We have taken an interest in you; since you are outside of our plans, you could be a very valuable asset. A trump card, ace in the hole, secret weapon,   
  
"I GET THE POINT!" Benjamon screamed in frustration. "WHY DID YOU BRING ME HERE?"  
  
To keep you unknown to the Dark Masters.  
  
"Trying to milk the surprise for all its worth?" Benjamon asked, shifting quickly to a more interested, much calmer tone.  
  
Yes.  
  
"Hmm... I like! Surprise is certainly a great edge..."  
  
We agree. However, we cannot speed up time to take you to where you will be most useful; we ask what you think we should do with you until that time.  
  
Benjamon thought, processing options as quickly as his program allowed. Three picoseconds later:  
"I want to fight. Could you send me somewhere to train?"   
We can. Work hard. We will send for you when the time comes.  
  
The whiteness in front of Benjamon shifted to a faint picture, which, as Benjamon stared, filled out with stronger and stronger colors, becoming increasingly realistic, until...  
  
"Hey mon! Where'd you come from?"  
  
  
Next up: "The Contest"   
Benjamon fights in an underground coliseum while the Digi-Destined meet the rest of their new enemies in the Digiworld... The Dark Masters.  
  
Send those suggestions, comments, Digimon Ideas to:  
Drowzee1@hotmail.com  
  
Also, I'm going to start playing a little faster and looser with the events of the show, just to keep things interesting and prevent me from being a complete hack writer.  



	6. The Contest ( three parts)

The Contest  
Scene: A coliseum located deep underground of the Digiworld. Classical Roman architecture is incorporated into the design, resulting in a very large sandy arena, perhaps one mile in diameter, around which is a heavy barrier to protect the gambling Digimon who come to watch and bet on the winners of the battle. Spherical Cameramon hover over the sand, relaying images to the viewscreens installed at various locations around the stands. Benjamon arrives suddenly in a flash of light, in front of a desk marked 'Entrants'.   
  
"Whoa, mon. Where'd you come from?" drawled a relaxed voice from somewhere behind the desk.  
"Huh?" Benjamon spun around to face the Digimon that had addressed him. "Oh. You wouldn't believe me if I told you...Sorry about the ambiguity."  
"It's groovy, mon. And I can take some pretty far-out stories... I've expanded my mind, man..." a small puff of sweet smelling smoke drifted up.  
"Well, if you insist." Benjamon sighed, taking off his backpack. "I was sent here by the creators of the Digiworld to fight whilst the Digi-Destined meet the Dark Masters."  
"I don't see what's wrong with that, mon. Nothing out of the ordinary around here...You wouldn't happen to see several plaid Mammothmon behind you, right?" another puff of smoke from the joint hit Benjamon in the face.  
Turning around, Benjamon saw some Numemon polishing the floor, but that was it... "No, no plaid Mammothmon." He replied, feeling his stomach grumble... "Could you stop breathing on my face, it's making me hungry."   
"Oh, mon... I could really go for some munchies right now..."  
Benjamon sighed, and took off his backpack. "All right," he said, pulling out two small packets, "Got any hot water?"  
"Sure, mon. Check the rainbow teapot...Whoa."   
Benjamon extracted two bowls and two spoons from his pack, and went over to the plain white teapot, pouring the bowls half-full of steaming water. Walking back to the desk and the smoke-enshrouded Digimon, Benjamon blinked, and realized he'd forgotten something important. "By the way, what's your name?"  
"I'm Peacemon, mon." the smoke cleared, revealing a long, black haired Digimon with hypnotically green eyes and looked like a member of the Woodstock revival movement. Tie-dye colors swirled across its body, and the rest of it looked like a plant, its palms and fingers leaves with long, jagged edges. Every once in a while, it took a toke off the small green cylinder that it gingerly held between two of its fronds.  
"Nice to meet you, Peacemon. The name's Benjamon. I've got a bit of grub to share, if you aren't forbidden from eating on the job." Benjamon said, tearing open the packets and upending them into the water-filled bowls.  
"No way I'm forbidden, mon. I OWN this place..." Peacemon took another hit off the narcotics, and smiled. "What are ya offering?"  
"Just some dehydrated miso soup. Shouldn't be too much longer." Benjamon said, watching the seaweed unfold in the hot water as the soup settled down into the bottom of the bowl.   
"Good choice of food, mon. So, you want to compete in my arena?" Peacemon said, seeming more intense than before...  
"Well, yes..." Benjamon replied, smiling. "How do I enter the battle?" he asked, handing Peacemon a spoon. "It's ready. Dig in, mon."   
"Thanks! I have got such a bad case of the munchies right now!" Peacemon cried, taking the spoon in a free frond and lifting the steaming miso to his mouth, where it disappeared with a noisy GULP.  
Benjamon leaned against the counter and ate his soup, ignoring the loud slurps Peacemon made as it alternated eating with smoking the joint.  
"Thanks again, mon." Peacemon drawled, taking yet another puff. "I don't do this for everyone, but... FLOWER POWER!" he shouted, five blossoms of varying colors appearing in his hand. "Take five, mon." Peacemon grinned as Benjamon took the flowers.  
"Thanks, but I don't really need to be paid back..."  
"I always repay debts, mon. ALWAYS. You were asking about how to enter the competition? Go through the doors on the right." Peacemon pulled a set of keys out from his desk, and tossed them to Benjamon. "Take room 325. Leave your stuff, and read the rules." Peacemon went back to smoking his joint.  
Benjamon nodded, and picked up the bowls, spoons, and empty packets, going back to the white teapot and washing the tableware off, and throwing the packets away.   
"Good luck, Mon!" Peacemon said as Benjamon passed through the doors.  
  
  
Benjamon paced down the cavernous hallways, watching all the other Digimon that might be his rivals in the arena... Woodmon, a scarred Agumon, an oddly dog-like Dobermon that wasn't frothing at the mouth, but flaming...  
"Room 323... 324...325." Benjamon thought, walking past the numbered doors. He took out the keys and unlocked the blue door.  
  
Inside, the room could be described as "Spartan" at best. Carpet, walls, ceiling, bed, and a tiny, cramped bathroom off to one side. On the bed was an envelope, and inside the envelope, a letter.  
  
"Rules for Competition:" It read.  
"One. No destroying the other Digimon, except in specially sanctioned Death Matches."  
"Two. Bouts are finished when:  
A Digimon is no longer able to battle, even after a ten second count.  
A Digimon has been knocked down, and has not been able to stand up within a count of ten.  
A Digimon surrenders/forfeits the bout.  
A stalemate results in a decision by the judge."  
"Three. All other rules will be announced by the judge before the match."  
  
  
Benjamon put the letter back in the envelope and took off his pack, setting it aside. He sat down on the bed, which creaked reassuringly...Laying back, he was asleep within five minutes.  
  
"BENJAMON AND CRIMSONMON! REPORT TO THE ARENA!" a loud speaker blared into the room.  
"WHAT?" Benjamon awoke with a start, falling off the bed. "Ooof!"  
He got up quickly, grabbed his Digivice from his backpack, and left the room, locking his door behind him. He dashed down the halls, the numbered doors blurring as he ran past.  
  
Benjamon arrived at the edge of the sands, and looked for his opponent.  
"I like to see hustle in the fighters, mon..." Peacemon's now familiar voice said from beside him. "That's the quickest anyone's ever gotten to the arena." a smoke ring blew out beside him, and hazed the air.  
"And who am I fighting? Crimsonmon?" Benjamon asked, looking at the colorful Digimon.  
  
"That's right, kid..." a harsh voice grated as a large red hand with long, claw-like fingernails suddenly grabbed Benjamon's shoulder and spun him around.  
  
Crimsonmon was the color of fresh blood, with bat-like wings and a foul countenance. The head had short horns, like a demon, and the eyes were dark and sunken beneath a heavy, overset brow. Two nostrils served as a nose, just above a horribly toothy mouth with long, pointed canines (fangs) and a forked tongue. The neck was thick, too large for Benjamon to strangle, and the torso looked like it had been carved from stone. Chiseled, that is. Broad, bulging pectorals and seriously ripped arms made the scarlet Digimon look like a refugee from a body building contest, except for the fact that he had no legs, only seemed to float atop a smoky haze. Add this to the fact that what could be seen of Crimsonmon was over ten feet tall, and the overall effect was rather grotesque.  
  
/*   
Digimon Analyzer (Beta version 2.3.0.4)  
Crimsonmon  
Type: Data  
Level: Champion  
  
A genie of the earth, Crimsonmon keeps his guard up and is tough as stone.   
  
Attacks:  
Stone Gaze: Effect unknown. Non-fatal program.  
Magic Wall: Defensive maneuver that generates a barrier around Crimsonmon to shield against attack.  
  
*/  
  
Peacemon spoke. "You both read the rules, mon?"  
"Yes." Benjamon and Crimsonmon answered.  
"Then get out there and DO it, mon!"   
Benjamon trudged, and Crimsonmon floated, out across the sand to the center of the coliseum. Cameramon flew out and hovered around them as the two Digimon turned to face each other.  
"AND BEGIN!" Peacemon roared over the loudspeakers.  
  
Benjamon bowed quickly then leapt back as Crimsonmon's great red hand swept through the air that Benjamon's head had so recently occupied.   
  
"You sure don't go for posturing, do you?" Benjamon asked, readying his attack. "CHAAAAIN BLASTER!"  
Balls of light emerged from Benjamon's hands in rapid succession, zooming towards the hulking Crimsonmon.   
"MAGIC WALL!" Crimsonmon bellowed, and a translucent, red-tinged barrier sprung up around him, absorbing the spheres of light. The red Digimon chuckled. "Is that your best attack? If so, You're DOOMED!" Crimsonmon laughed again...  
"I can do slightly better, yes..." Benjamon replied, shifting his hand guards into the gauntlets.   
"Huh? What nice little toys."  
Benjamon charged at the demon Digimon, swiping the chrome Digizoid blades across the wall of Crimsonmon's creation. Sparks flew as the sharp edges bit into Crimsonmon's Magic Wall, but nothing else happened.  
"BWA HA HA HA!" Crimsonmon chortled. "This is too rich! STONE GAZE!" a gray beam shot from Crimsonmon's eyes, striking Benjamon in the chest.   
  
Falling back slightly, Benjamon didn't feel any worse for wear. "What the hell was that?" he asked,   
  
"I... I... I can't move!" Benjamon cried, watching helplessly as his body stopped responding.  
  
"That's the effect of my Stone Gaze. It causes instant paralysis, and gives me a MAJOR advantage over ANY opponent." Crimsonmon grinned widely, revealing his rows of stained, jagged teeth.  
Over the loud speaker, Peacemon begins to count....  
"One."  
Benjamon groaned, trying to move.  
"Two."  
"Three."  
"Four."  
Crimsonmon laughed, loud and deep... "You're finished, kid, go home and clean your glasses, maybe you'll see just how WEAK you are!"  
"Five."  
Benjamon gritted his teeth, seething with anger for letting himself be defeated so easily.  
"Six."  
"No! Not yet! I have to...win!" Benjamon grunted, sweat pouring out of his brow with the efforts of trying to move against the stone gaze attack.  
"Seven."  
In Benjamon's pocket, his Digivice started to shine.   
"Eight."  
Light burst forth, suffusing Benjamon's body with its glow.  
"Nine."  
"Benjamon, Digivolve to...(( PSISAUROMON!))  
Pandemonium broke out in the stands as Peacemon stopped the count. "Groovy, Mon!" he exclaimed, then went back to watching and smoking.  
  
Back in the arena, Psisauromon faced off against Crimsonmon, Psisauromon's green scales and yellow fires in direct contrast to Crimsonmon's red body and smoky haze.   
Cameramon whirled into position as fast as their little spheroid bodies could take them, zooming in on the combatants.  
Psisauromon's gold eye glared fiercely from behind the chrome Digizoid mesh protecting his eye. His faceplate shone with the reflection of the solar flames that enshrouded his head, the green scales on the left side of his face uncovered, surrounding the eye that was abyss; no matter how brightly Psisauromon shone, the triangular eye absorbed all light that touched it. The symbols of his crests, Compassion, Honor, and Justice, the code of a true warrior, were engraved across the armor covering the mute mouth. Psisauromon took a fighting stance, drawing on his recording of Tai kwon do. Feet spread apart, planted firmly on the swiftly heating sand, burned hotly. Hands clenched into burning fists the size of Christmas hams, green knuckles even, lined up with the waistline of his beige trousers, belted tightly at the waist with a length of black rope.   
  
"You got lucky." Crimsonmon sneered, glaring at the Champion Digimon. "STONE GAZE!" The incapacitating gray beams shot out of Crimsonmon's sunken eyes, and struck Psisauromon's massive leg.  
  
((Oh, no! I've been hit again? What SHALL I do?)) Psisauromon's thoughts were heard by Crimsonmon, Peacemon, and all the spectators, as Psisauromon reached down with his flaming hands and appeared to struggle mightily with the tan-panted leg that had been 'paralyzed'.  
"You SHOULD realize that you can't win against a Digimon with the power to stop you in your tracks!" Crimsonmon flapped his bat wings and lifted off the ground as he circled Psisauromon to attack from behind.   
Psisauromon's blank eye turned white, the flames of his head, hands and feet flared up, breaking the hold of Crimsonmon's Stone Gaze.  
"SCARLET Hrrrk!" Crimsonmon gagged as Psisauromon pivoted on one foot, spinning around to deliver a kick sheathed in solar fire to the throat of the red demon with such force that the horrendous ruby genie was hurled straight into the wall of the stadium.  
  
As the Cameramon rushed to get close to the action, Peacemon leaned back in the broadcasting room, grinning at the turn-about. "The customers are gettin' their money's worth today!" he thought happily, puffing on the ever-present joint. "Not that I accept money anymore, that stuff's a bad trip..."  
  
Back in the arena...  
  
Psisauromon rushed at the dazed Crimsonmon, thick, clawed toes digging into the sand as Psisauromon dropped his head, letting the skull wrapping Chrome Digizoid faceplate take the brunt of the blow the charge would deliver.  
"MAGIC WALL!" roared Crimsonmon, massaging his throat with surprising delicacy. The barrier spiraled up around him just moments before Psisauromon hit.  
  
CLANG! Rang Psisauromon's faceplate as he bounced headfirst off Crimsonmon's red partition, the redirection of force knocking the twelve foot Digimon off his feet, as he held his head in his burning hands....  
((Ow!)) The entire stadium got a headache as the feeling of pain was accidentally passed around with Psisauromon's thought.  
"Ah, well... Beating your head against a wall is such a futile exercise, Psisauromon. And I should know." The scarlet Digimon smiled an evil smile as he dropped his barrier.  
((Yes, you SHOULD know!)) ((PSI SHIELD!))  
Psisauromon's voided eye became the source of a dazzling white beam that raced in a straight line in front of Crimsonmon's smoggy body.  
A wall of ivory fire leapt up between the combatants, solidified, and shot toward Crimsonmon, lifting off the ground and pasting the dark red Digimon right between the eyes, driving him headlong into the stone wall.  
  
Crimsonmon slid off with a squeak, and lay on the sands.  
  
Peacemon began the count again.  
"One!"  
"Two!"  
"Three!"  
"Four!"  
"Five!"  
"Six!"  
"Seven!"  
"Eight!"  
"Nine!"  
"TEN!"  
The crowd of spectator Digimon erupted into a noise so loud that it made a cheer from sold out Bronx Stadium sound like a kitten's fart.  
Psisauromon hefted Crimsonmon on his shoulder, and carried him off to the arena entrance, lifting the Digimon easily, even though Crimsonmon and he were of similar build in height and musculature.   
"Out of this Digi-world, mon!" Peacemon crowed. "They'll be talking about this for years, mon! YEARS!"   
((When's my next match?)) Psisauromon asked, his flames illuminating the dim room into a study of shifting light and shadow as Psisauromon moved his hands and feet.  
"Tomorrow, mon. You go get some rest, I don't want any fighters too tired to fight! Screws the whole thing up, mon, in a majorly uncool way!" Peacemon responded, toking up.   
((I was hoping for something sooner.))   
Psisauromon set Crimsonmon down gently.  
"Like when, Mon?"  
((Like now.))  
  
  
The Contest, Part Two:  
Plasma Burn  
Scene: Again in the underground coliseum, Psisauromon faces off against Digimon Competitors in his desire to become stronger, and aid the Digi-Destined in their fight to defeat the Dark Masters.  
  
"BEGIN!" Peacemon shouted, and the spectators cheered as the battle began. Two champions stood in the middle of the ring, Psisauromon and Multimon.   
  
Multimon looked an elf from Santa's workshop gone Goth, a thin, pale face with blue pinhole eyes, a long, upward curving nose, black lips and brown teeth. Pointed ears framed a gray bobble hat placed rakishly on his head, and the rest of Multimon did not look thin and emaciated at all. He was almost completely spherical from neck to legs; his arms, legs, and head poked out as if they had been added as an afterthought to a black and white striped beach ball.  
  
/*  
Digimon Analyzer (Beta Version 2.3.0.4)  
  
Multimon  
Type: Virus  
Level: Champion  
  
Eccentric and unpredictable, Multimon possesses a high level of knowledge about battle stratagem. Reasons unknown. Body is highly malleable, like soft latex with high elasticity constant.  
  
Attacks:   
Bouncing Bomb: Explosive attack utilizing own body.  
Multi ****** PROGRAM ERROR******  
Please report this error to your local Digitech representative.  
*/  
  
((After you.)) Psisauromon thought, bowing to his opponent.  
  
"OoooooOO! Such a gentlemon!" cackled the elf, who barely came up to Psisauromon's waist. "But since you insist! BOUNCING BOMB!"  
  
The scary little Digimon pulled his appendages into his torso like a turtle into its shell, and began to hop up and down, an exaggerated BOING happening each time the ball bounced.   
  
Psisauromon watched, his eyes wide in incredulous disbelief at the display of the odd Digimon, now bounding more than fifty feet into the air with each loud BOING.  
  
Suddenly, Multimon shot towards Psisauromon, who barely had time to throw himself to the ground as the black and white ball spun by so fast it appeared gray. The sphere kicked up the sandy floor into a large local sandstorm as it grabbed the turf for traction and finally zoomed off.  
  
Psisauromon picked himself up, and searched for the twisted little gnome. In the sand cloud, he couldn't see anything, but he felt, several times, the presence of another Digimon rolling by. The sand floating around him turned a bright red as it passed through his flames, illuminating the path already walked in a shower of light similar to the bioluminescence of disturbed plankton lighting the wake of a passing ship.  
  
Then, two things happened at once. First, Psisauromon stepped out of the sandstorm, and second, a fast moving gray ball hit him in the back and exploded.  
  
Psisauromon was hurled twenty feet into the air by the force of the blast, and the air knocked out of him by the concussion wave that followed. He stood up, breathing deeply through his mask as he struggled to regain his composure.   
  
"He! He! He! He!" squeaked Multimon, his head and arms extended, still bouncing along.  
  
((Just for that, sprite, I'll PIXILATE you!))  
  
Psisauromon rushed forward and caught Multimon's arm in a vice grip, the little black arm smoking as the hot flames of Psisauromon's hand scorched anywhere they touched. Bringing the pale Digimon back over his head, Psisauromon wound up and swung the elf underhand, hurling it straight up.  
  
((Okay, bouncy. Let's see how elastic you really are...)) Psisauromon laughed, a hissing noise emerging from the vent holes in his mask.  
  
The burned Multimon pulled in his arm, crunching up for impact.  
  
With a strong right hook to the center of the falling black and white Digimon, Psisauromon send Multimon sailing across the arena sands.   
  
"BOUNCING BOMB!" a muffled voice cried, and the ball sped up, whirling to gray again as Multimon rebounded off the wall and headed for Psisauromon  
  
Psisauromon leapt into the air, somersaulting and coming down fist first on the top of the ball, pushing Multimon into the sand.  
  
Multimon exploded, blowing a large crater in the ground while Psisauromon, ever the fast learner, had bounced off Multimon's springy body to safety twenty feet away.   
  
"Oooooo! That's not nice!" Multimon exclaimed in an excessively falsetto, reedy voice as he pulled himself back together, smoke still pouring out from the holes in his torso. His dot-like blue eyes stretched into horizontal indigo lines across the pale whiteness of his face. "No matter! You won't survive this!"   
  
((I'm tired of you.)) Psisauromon cracked his massive green knuckles, walking towards the slightly burned black ball, taking his time now that he knew what to expect from the psychotic little elfin Digimon.  
  
"MULTIMON MULTIPLY!" Multimon pirouetted rapidly on one foot, spinning so fast that his body began to distort, flattening out into a wide ebony disk.  
  
((What?)) Psisauromon stopped in his tracks ten feet from the twirling figure, unsure of what to do. Having no other ideas, Psisauromon got ready to jump in case the Digimon decided to attack in some strange way.  
  
A high pitched whistle began from the rapidly rotating disk, and then, Multimon snapped. Literally. With a ripping, rending noise, the now plate-like Multimon separated into sixteen fragments that shot off at right angles to the direction of the rotation, landing in a perfect circle, in complete accordance with the laws of physics.  
  
((Multimon killed himself?)) Psisauromon broadcast to the minds of the spectators. Walking over to one of the pieces, Psisauromon knelt down, looking at the jet-black remains of Multimon. ((But he's not dissolving into data...))  
  
A sudden, violent impact threw the reptilian Digimon head over tail, and he found himself gazing upward into the blue dots of Multimon's eyes, hearing faint hissings and pops from all around him. Soon, he was staring in disbelief at a ring of blue dots, white faces, and gray bobble hats as Peacemon began to count.  
"One!"  
"Two!"  
"Come on, get up!" the sixteen Multimon said simultaneously, reminding Psisauromon of the first time Benjamon had heard true surround sound.   
"Three!"  
Thirty-two little hands grabbed onto Psisauromon, and lifted him to his feet.  
"Fo... What's going down out there?"  
Psisauromon looked down at the gray bobble hats and white faces, shuddering. ((Why?)) he thought, eyes wide in surprise.   
"Because you let us go first! He he he he!" the sixteen little mimes cackled. "Now, start running, ya great lummox!"  
  
((What??))  
"BOUNCING BOMB!" all the Multimon cried, pulling in their appendages and careening off each other as they collided with each other with increasing frequency and force.  
Psisauromon gulped, looked for an opening, and jumped as far as he could from the berserk gray balls, and ran.   
As one, the Multimon changed course, and rolled off after Psisauromon in a phalanx square, a cloud of dust boiling up after the formation.  
Psisauromon dashed to the wall, and turned, squatting down into the smallest space possible.  
((PSI SHIELD!))  
The white barrier appeared in front of him, then as Psisauromon's empty eye turned white, wrapped around him to the wall, becoming thicker as Psisauromon continued to sculpt the psychic wall.  
The Multimon separated into groups of four, one group rolling to the right, one group rolling to the left, and the final two groups moving side by side, forming a large rectangle, then moving into a semi-circle.   
Psisauromon held the barrier, losing energy, as he waited for the attack, planning how he could defeat all the Multimon at once.  
Fed up with waiting, the gray spinning balls spun and rolled at the shielded Psisauromon, one at a time. They hit; they exploded violently, bouncing back to their original position in the semi-circle.   
Straining to keep the psychic shield up against the onslaught of exploding Multimon, Psisauromon noted the position of each blast...((EUREKA!))  
Just as the final Bouncing Bomb attack hit, Multimon began to pull themselves back together. Psisauromon's wall vanished and he stood up, the solar flames on his hands, feet, and head raging upwards, higher than the edge of the wall, singing the eyebrows off several Digimon Spectators who had leaned out to watch.  
Psisauromon's eyes narrowed to slits as he looked at the recovering Multimon with sullen fury. Placing the palms of his large, scaly hands together, Psisauromon tensed up, the fires of his hands joining and forming a column of hot plasma that reached the roof of the coliseum, then doubled back, becoming wider, surrounding Psisauromon in a pillar of flame.  
  
The spectators began to faint as the temperature rose higher and higher, wilting in their seats as the solar inferno heated the air far beyond the capacity of the cooling systems to compensate. Fuses blew and the lights shorted out as the maelstrom continued unabated.   
  
((CORONA FLARE!))   
Psisauromon flung his arms wide, the tower of fire condensing into an incandescent wave that arched between his hands, moving outwards and expanding like a ripple in a pond as it raced towards the sixteen Multimon.  
The edge of the arc hit all sixteen at the same time. The copies shrieked briefly, then were rendered silent as the superheated flare burned them to a crisp. Only the original survived; its face was no longer pale, but a golden brown, not unlike a well-toasted marshmallow. The rotund shape deflated into a floppy discus with a bobble hat and pointed shoes upturned at the toe.  
The wave of fire disappeared, and the entire arena was pitch black, except for the area of glowing sand, and the circle of light Psisauromon gave off as he stood, shaking his head at his fallen opponent.   
  
((Sorry about the mess, Peacemon.)) Psisauromon apologized later.  
  
"Mon, I am USUALLY a mellow fellow, but... MON! If you do anything like that again, you are out! Ya dig?" Peacemon grunted, blowing a large smoke ring.   
((I understand... I mean, I dig.))  
Peacemon smiled suddenly. "Hey, don't let me get you down, mon! In two fights, you've become the new favorite for the really groovy cats in the stands!"  
Psisauromon blinked, confused. ((Come again?))  
Peacemon puffed a joint, and pulled out a piece of paper from a desk drawer, the long, jagged leaves of his fronds acting as perfect fingers. Tracing down the list of names and odds, Peacemon pointed to a particular entry and smiled, the wild coloration of his body shifting hypnotically. "See, mon? The lookers think you are hot!"  
Psisauromon looked to where Peacemon's leaf pointed, and read. ((Psisauromon vs. Greymon. 2:1 on Psisauromon. Not bad.))  
The owner of the coliseum rocked back in his chair and smiled. "But remember, mon. If you trash my pad again..." Peacemon left the threat hanging in the air.  
Psisauromon nodded once and left the office, heading back to the arena.  
  
  
The Contest, Part Three:  
Farewell to the Arena.  
  
Scene: Once again on the sands of the coliseum, Benjamon has managed to stay Digivolved as the Champion Psisauromon for over a day, and beaten two powerful opponents: Crimsonmon and Multimon. Psisauromon's skills and style have taken him to the top of the favored in the betting of the spectators, and he is favored two to one in the next match... Against a Greymon.  
  
Psisauromon walked out onto the sand rendered into silicate glass by the Corona Flare attack Psisauromon used to defeat Multimon and all his copies. He wondered how the Digi-Destined were faring against the Dark Masters, and how soon it would be before he could rejoin them... Walking, distracted by thoughts, Psisauromon walked past the center of the arena and would have made it to the other side had a huge shadow not crossed his path.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" the Greymon growled through pointed teeth, "I came here to fight, not be ignored!"  
Psisauromon silently thought of a rude retort, but did not transmit it. He was in trouble enough for damaging the arena in his previous battle, and didn't want to get kicked out before he could mop the floor with at least one more opponent. He looked up at his opponent, to see exactly what he was up against.  
The classic shape of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the massive jaws, legs, and tail, only in orange with blue stripes and tiny, ineffectual arms. A deep, jagged scar ran from the left side of the neck to the inside of the right leg, thick tissue surrounding the old wound covering over the actual gash. The metal helmet covering the top half of his head was scratched and dented; it appeared to have been sandblasted several times. The horns on the helmet were nastily serrated, and covered in the blackish crimson of dried blood.  
Psisauromon found all of this odd because programs do not bleed, or scar, for that matter, and began to wonder how the wonderfully ugly effect was achieved. He barely came up to the Greymon's ankle (remember, with dinosaurs, dogs, cats, etc., the part we consider the foot is really the toes, and the backwards knee is really the ankle), and did not feel threatened at all by this Digimon, having seen how Tai and Greymon had only been effective because the enemies hadn't tried physical attacks, only attribute attacks.   
  
The Greymon got nervous as Psisauromon stared at him; the combined effect of the golden, vertically slitted eye behind silver mesh and the perfect blackness of the triangular empty eye disconcerted the Greymon, who began to fidget. "What are you doing, you fool!" he roared, stepping back.  
Psisauromon shrugged. He wasn't going to waste any extra energy on this clown. The green, scaly, reptilian humanoid bowed to the Greymon, just so he wouldn't have to risk getting hit by anything the Greymon might try after the battle began.   
  
"READY, MON? BEGIN!" Peacemon announced over the P.A., and the assembled Digimon cheered, some of them with large fans to keep themselves somewhat cool if Psisauromon turned up the heat again.  
  
"NOVA BLAST!" roared the Greymon, expectorating a fireball the size of a semi-truck.   
Psisauromon took a running leap toward the incoming inferno, landed about five feet from the front of the fire, jumped again, revolving in the air to land on the flaming flanges of his large green hands just behind the rear edge of the Nova Blast. Pushing off with the full force of his solidly muscled arms, Psisauromon began a rapid series of forward flips towards the orange Digimon, who was preparing to attack again.  
"NOVA BLAST!" the Greymon bellowed again, but before he could spit, Psisauromon's acrobatics carried him under the giant maw of the fiery Digimon, and with a massive shove, launched himself feet-first at the large mandible. A well-delivered kick slammed the jaw shut just as the blast was about to pass the jagged teeth of the Greymon.  
  
The ensuing explosion was horrendous.  
  
After the ringing in his ears had ceased, Psisauromon's thoughts had cleared enough to where he could see that the Greymon would have blown its skull to digital shrapnel if it weren't for the restraining force of the helmet. The large Digimon was out cold, twitching spastically on the glassy surface of the coliseum, the scorch marks surrounding its mouth adding a new color to the carrot and indigo hues that were the standard for Greymon.  
"In a really quick match, the winner is... PSISAUROMON!" Peacemon announced from the booth.  
  
You will be needed soon. Be ready.   
((What?)) Psisauromon looked around, and put his blazing hand on his burning head... ((No fever.)) A sibilant hiss of a laugh, reminiscent of puffs of escaping steam, emerged from the slits of the nostril holes. ((As if I could tell, with my hand and head ablaze.))  
  
((Peacemon, I can only stay a little longer. Maybe less than a day.)) Psisauromon thought apologetically to the colorful swirl and black hair of the stadium's owner.  
Peacemon choked mid-puff, and his entrancing green eyes went wide in surprise. "Mon! Why?" he sputtered, "The cats are comin' in from all over to see you, Mon! You built up popularity faster than I blow smoke, and you want to leave?!"   
((Not want to leave. Have to leave. The creators are calling me; the Digi-Destined need assistance.))   
Peacemon rasped and hacked for a few moments longer. "Do you have time for one more fight?" he croaked.  
((I thin...)) Psisauromon began.  
He does not, Peacemon. He is needed elsewhere.   
"Did you say that, mon?" Peacemon asked quietly, nervously twirling a lock of his lustrous ebony hair around a leafy finger of one of his marijuana leaf-like hands.  
((No. I must be needed soon, if they talked to you.))  
Peacemon sighed, accepting the sudden change of plans. "All right, Mon," he said, back to the drawling, easy voice he had used the first time Benjamon met him, "I don't like to see a cool frood like you go, but looks like I have to. Get your stuff, and come back with your key."  
Psisauromon nodded and left the office. Walking down the halls, he looked at all the uniform doors... Behind each was a Digimon with a strong fighting spirit and love of competition. A haven for warriors among Digimon... Psisauromon blinked a tear that disappeared in an instant under the unrelenting heat of the solar fire that surrounded his head. He opened the door to room 325, and willed the fires of his left hand out so he could pick up his backpack. Lifting the red carrier, Psisauromon left the stark room and locked the door.  
((Your key, Peacemon. Thank you for letting me compete.)) The heated key melted the desk varnish under it as Psisauromon set it down.  
"Hey, mon. It's groovy. Come back anytime you want. And don't forget my gift..."  
((The flowers?))  
"Right, Mon." Peacemon took a hit off his joint, and blew a huge smoke ring. "They are more than they are."   
((What?)) Psisauromon thought, his mind distracted by the sudden glowing of the leftmost crest of his mask, which had begun to glow softly.  
Psisauromon fell through a sudden swirl in the floor, and vanished.  
It is time.  
((I gathered.))  
Are you ready?  
((If I'm not, I'm probably deleted.))  
Go, then.  
  
"Oh, no! WARGREYMON!" Tai shouted as Metalseadramon dove under the waters of the cove, holding Wargreymon in his metal mouth.  
"Is it just me, or did it get warmer?" Sora asked, watching the Mega Digimon fight.  
"Ooooh! I'm boiling!" Tentomon exclaimed, opening his wing covers to cool his back.  
((Am I late?)) Psisauromon asked, propping his backpack against a nearby tree. ((I was told the Digi-Destined needed help.))  
"Psisauromon?" TK said, turning with Patamon resting on his hat.   
((Who else do you know that raises the air temperature by several degrees just standing still?))  
Mimi, sitting by Palmon, thought for a moment. "Oh! Meramon and Skullmeramon!" she exclaimed brightly, a wide smile and closed eyes making her unbearably cute.  
"Mimi, he meant that as a rhetorical question." Joe sighed, shaking his head. Mimi's lower lip trembled, and her eyes began to tear...  
((Oh, glitch!)) Psisauromon swore, turning to Izzy. ((What's going on?))  
"Well, Metalseadramon just blasted Whamon, and now he's fighting Wargreymon... However, Wargreymon is weak underwater."  
((All right. I knew I could count on you.)) Psisauromon looked over at Joe, who was trying to comfort Mimi.  
"So, you've come back." Said a chilly voice behind the furnace of Psisauromon.  
Psisauromon sighed softly. ((Can it, Matt. Looks like I've got a bigger fish to fry than you right now.)) ((PSI SHIELD!))  
While Matt sputtered in frustration, Psisauromon's barrier appeared, and then fell to lie flat on the ground. Psisauromon stepped on, and the shield lifted from the ground, carrying him into the sky.  
"The nerve of that Jerk!" Matt fumed, glowering at the rising light.  
From atop the shield, Psisauromon searched the waters of the bay. A small line of bubbles in the middle of the water started to grow larger, and Psisauromon swooped down toward the trail.   
The ocean surged outwards as Metalseadramon burst forth, still carrying Wargreymon in his teeth. The giant serpent laughed coarsely, almost braying. "Haw, Haw, Haw! How'd you like that?" he roared, water cascading off his metal body.  
((Look away from me, Everyone!)) Psisauromon ordered, touching his right hand to his extinguished left, making it burn brightly once more.   
"What?" Tai called.  
((CORONA FLARE!)) Psisauromon cried, his fires leaping higher, burning hotter, and getting brighter. No distance attack occurred as the blaze enveloped him, forming into a ball of disassociated nuclei and electrons, a solar furnace, a small sun. Around him, the air wavered and churned, then began to rush upwards as the temperature of Psisauromon's sheath superheated the surroundings.  
"Don't look, TK!" Matt ordered.  
"But I want to watch!" TK complained petulantly.  
"Look, and it's the last thing you'll ever see!" Matt retorted, spinning his brother around, away from the incandescent fireball.   
"He's right, you could go blind!" Kari exclaimed, hiding behind a tree with Gatomon.   
Joe held Mimi close, keeping her head turned away from Psisauromon. Mimi, in an unprecedented show of common sense, removed her large pink hat and held it up over both of them to filter out the light.  
Tai pulled down his tinted goggles, but the light still tried to burn his retinas to a crisp, forcing the energetic leader to likewise keep his eyes away.   
The Digimon had turned away from Psisauromon the instant he had ordered them to do so, and were sweating out the duration of the light as best they could.  
  
"What in the Digi-world is that?" Metalseadramon roared as his silhouette was brilliantly painted across the landscape as Psisauromon drew closer and closer.  
((I do believe the saying goes: The cavalry has arrived.)) Psisauromon thought, intentionally giving a sense of direction to his thoughts.  
"What?" Metalseadramon snarled, spinning around to look. "YEEEAAAARRRGH!" the giant water wyrm screamed as he gazed directly into the maelstrom of the Corona Flare. "My eyes!"  
((So stupid... Almost pathetic, falling for that one.)) Psisauromon taunted, leaping onto the broad metal back of Metalseadramon.  
Metalseadramon screamed and writhed as the inferno heated him to tens of thousands of degrees within moments. His mouth opened wide as his metal mane melted into drops of solder that fell into the ocean below, creating huge clouds of steam. Wargreymon flew out of Metalseadramon's jaws, and shielded his eyes against the blinding white light. "What is that?!" Wargreymon said in his guttural voice.  
  
((Just Psisauromon, back and burning for a good fight.)) Hanging on to the searing armor of the tortured Mega, Psisauromon addressed the Digi-Destined again. ((Level doesn't always matter, when a champion can blind and use physics instead of special attacks all the time. Right, Moltensquealdroneon?))  
Metalseadramon curled and straightened, like a worm under a magnifying glass. He wailed constantly with pain, unable to even think of the most basic response to dive into the water.   
((GET HIM, WARGREYMON!)) Psisauromon stopped the Corona Flare, jumping back to the shield, descending as quickly as possible.  
"All Right!" Wargreymon grinned under his helmet, as the blinding light stopped. "TERRA FORCE!"  
Stiffening his body, claws of the Dramon Destroyers pointed to the sky, Wargreymon spun like a dervish and dove into Metalseadramon's gaping mouth, slicing his way through the unprotected inside of the large beast, swiftly drilling through, and bursting out of the former Dark Master's tail.   
Metalseadramon exploded into a flow of black data particles, and blew away. Wargreymon, energy spent, turned back into a very dizzy Koromon, which Psisauromon caught and brought back to the Digi-Destined.   
After stepping off the shield, Psisauromon glowed subtly, and changed back into Benjamon, having stayed in champion form for more than two day cycles of the Digi-world. "Okay, it's over!" he called to the Digi-Destined, who all began to turn around, with the exception of Mimi and Joe, still behind her sun hat.  
"Koromon! Are you all right?" Tai asked, holding the funky little pink head in his arms.  
Izzy tapped at the keyboard of his computer. "Do you know how much energy you just used?" he asked Benjamon, who was yawning widely.  
"No." Benjamon replied, looking tiredly over at the computer genius.   
"Given the heat I felt and the intensity of the light falling just on me, I can approximate the energy emitted by using the surface area of the interior of a sphere, multiplying by the area that I occupied during the event," Izzy's fingers sped across the keys, integrating functions. "Then finding the change in temperature as sigma approaches zero..." He now took a limit, using Simpson's rule, "And at contact, you were giving off enough energy to maintain a fusion reaction for six months or power all of Japan for a year!"   
  
Sora looked incredibly puzzled. "Joe, could you tell us what that means?... Joe? ...JOE!" she shouted, striding over and snatching the sun hat from Mimi's hands.  
Joe blushed a deep crimson as he felt everyone's eyes on him. He fell backwards, Mimi's hair falling from between his fingers, and his glasses steamed. "I...I...Uh..." he stammered.  
Mimi giggled, and blew him a kiss, making him blush all the harder.  
Wider eyes were never seen as the Digi-Destined and Digimon stared at Mimi and Joe. Except for Benjamon, who had fallen on the ground and was laughing hysterically, rolling and clutching at his stomach.  
"Joe?" Gomamon squeaked.  
"Huh?" Joe answered.  
"Could you get off me, NOW!!" The little seal with an orange Mohawk shouted.  
Benjamon laughed all the harder, tears in his eyes.  
The awkward moment continued on, and on, and on, broken only by Benjamon's manic bursts of laughter and gasping for breath.  
"Never mind, Joe..." Sora said quietly, handing Mimi her hat.   
A sudden rushing, sloshing noise finally broke the moment. The Digi-Destined rushed to the shore, and saw the water that twisted up Spiral Mountain flow down.  
"What's happening?" Kari asked.  
"With the defeat of Metalseadramon, his domain, namely the oceans and major rivers of the Digi-world are recompiling."  
Tai smiled, and prepared to make a dramatic statement. "Well, this can only mean one thing!"  
"What's that?" Matt asked, watching the water spiral down.  
"That this is the last chance..." whatever he said was drowned out by a fresh fit of laughter from Benjamon, who fall to his knees, chortling madly.  
"Look, would you shut up, already?" Tai grumped.   
  
  
That's it for the coliseum, now, onto Puppetmon!  
Next time, "I Wooden do that, If I were you!" or, "No strings attached... Yet." Or something else in the way of a pun.   
  
  
Peacemon, the ever-groovy owner of the Digimon arena, is the creation of Cutiemon.  
  
I'd like to thank Several People on the Digimon Message Board of AnimeHQ, specifically:  
Cutiemon, who suggested Peacemon;  
King-a-da-Dragons, for the excellent competitor Crimsonmon;  
And the administrator Dobermon for... Dobermon!  
  
  
Send your suggestions to:  
Drowzee1@hotmail.com.  



	7. Puppetmon's Playtime, Part one (Best emo...

Puppetmon's Playtime  
Scene: On a beach of the Digi-world, the Digi-Destined have just witnessed the defeat of Metalseadramon, and the subsequent disappearance of the ocean as it recompiles. The Digi-Destined are now going to meet the next Dark Master, but there are a few problems to be dealt with first...  
  
"Benjamon, you've been laughing for the last five minutes straight!" Joe complained, finally able to overcome his blush. "It's over, all right?"  
  
Benjamon clamped his lips together, still forming an amused smirk. His cheeks were still damp with tears of mirth running out from his golden reptilian eyes. He looked at Joe again, then turned toward the forest, shoulders shaking as he tried to keep himself from chortling out loud. "I'm sorry!" he gasped after a few seconds of holding his breath, "But if you saw the look on your face..." his grin was so wide that a watermelon could've gone in sideways.  
  
Joe glowered at Benjamon, then looked at the others, who had gotten over the shock of seeing Joe and Mimi kissing much more quickly than the odd rookie Digimon who had decided to join them. "Hey, where is Mimi now?" Joe asked, not seeing the pink dress or broad rimmed sun hat that characterized the flighty girl.  
  
A dull thud followed by snorts and squeaks of suppressed guffaws told Joe that Benjamon had fallen over and was laughing again. He decided that this behavior would continue for the rest of the day, and he sighed. Whirling around to tell the amused Digimon to shut up, Joe saw Mimi kneeling in the sand, Palmon standing next to her. Mimi was scooping sand into piles with her gloved hands, the four hemispheres surprisingly uniform. The cactus-like Palmon held four brown crosses made of lashed sticks, and passed one to Mimi as each pile was completed.  
  
"Okay, let's go!" Tai called, carrying Koromon towards the forest abutting the beach.  
  
"No!" Mimi cried in response, her large eyes starting to tear as she set a cross into a pile of sand.  
  
"What?"  
  
Mimi sniffed, placing the last cross just as Sora closed the distance between them and placed her hand on Mimi's quivering shoulder. "What are you doing, Mimi?" Sora asked softly, crouching down beside her friend.  
  
"These are memorials to our Digimon friends that have died..." Mimi answered in a quavering voice, as she began to point to the piles. "That one's for Wizardmon... Chuumon... Piximon... And Whamon..."  
  
Tai stood for a moment, then said, "Well, let's get going..."   
  
Mimi's eyes began to flow, and Joe immediately went to her side, holding and stroking her arm gently.  
  
"TAI! Don't you have any feelings at all!?" Matt yelled, striding over until he was almost literally in Tai's face.   
  
"What are you talking about?" Tai asked, taking a step back.  
  
"Did you ever think that some of us don't want to fight all the time? That some of us need a break? And what about honoring our friends, who died so we could win?" Matt pressed his verbal assault, advancing on Tai, and poking his gloved finger into Tai's blue shirt with each sentence.   
  
"But we have to defeat the Dark Masters and save the worlds!" Tai retaliated, shifting Koromon to one arm and shoving Matt back.  
  
"What's with you? Do you have ice in your veins?"  
  
"If I might add something to your interesting conversation..." Benjamon began, all traces of mirth gone from his face.  
  
"NO! SHUT UP!" Tai and Matt yelled as one, going back into their intense bickering.  
  
Izzy gulped and took a step back from Benjamon as the rebuked Digimon's eyes narrowed to fierce slits.   
  
"Matt! Please stop!" TK implored.  
  
"TK, stay out of this!" Matt responded harshly, "Tai has to understand that we aren't all like him!"  
  
TK's eyes began to fill with tears...  
  
"CHAIN BLASTER!" Benjamon roared, firing two balls of starlight, one from each hand.  
  
"You...wha?" Tai's voice faltered as he saw two bright lights shoot past Matt's ears with a clearance of less than a centimeter. Matt stopped mid shout as he saw the same orbs spread apart to miss Tia's hair by the smallest of distances.  
  
Everyone turned to look at Benjamon, who walked slowly towards the two arguing Digi-Destined. "Now listen." He snarled. "I've come along because I want to protect the Digi-Destined. And I'm not about to let you two endanger everyone because of an ethics versus necessity argument!" The six-foot tall Benjamon came into arm's length of Tai and Matt as he continued to berate them. "Did you ever think that you both could be right?" he growled, glaring at them from behind his glasses.  
  
"What? No..." Matt began, cowed by the sudden change in attitude.  
  
"Again, listen up! Tai here thinks that the best way to win is to keep moving, and fight hard until either success or failure results. He wants to save the Digital and Analog worlds before anything bad can happen. For him, the best way to honor the fallen is to make sure their sacrifices were not in vain." Benjamon looked at Tai, who nodded mutely.   
  
"But..." Matt tried to object, but another icy glance from Benjamon quieted him down.  
  
"You, on the other hand, think that the needs of the group come first, and so you want to slow down or even stop from time to time, so the group can be preserved. Furthermore, you feel the best way to honor the Digimon who sacrificed themselves to save you is to stop and remember them as best you can. That's an admirable sentiment, but by arguing and bickering to the point where you start to break up the team, you're a hypocrite!"  
  
Matt opened, then closed his mouth as he realized what he had been doing. Being yelled at by a supposedly 'friendly' Digimon was disconcerting, to say the least. A Digimon understanding human emotions and even possessing the complex algorithms for such neurotic behaviors as mood swings, grudges, and communicated rage was completely new to Matt; he couldn't help but think of Benjamon as a human being for the duration of the tirade.  
  
Sora and Kari watched the chewing-out process from beside the memorials.  
  
"Remind me never to get on his bad side." Sora murmured.  
  
"Right, if you'll do the same for me..." Kari replied.  
  
Gatomon and Biyomon nodded, eyes wide as the two strongest Digi-Destined were taken down several pegs by a vocal rookie.  
  
"If you two would just get your minds out of their respective ruts and look around, you could see that you both have valid views, and that a compromise would get you both a lot farther than this cat fight!" Benjamon glared at them for a few moments more, before his eyes softened. "Now then, who's hungry?" he asked, watching in satisfaction as jaws dropped.  
  
"What?" Tai blinked, trying to shift mental gears to follow what Benjamon had said.  
  
"You heard me." Benjamon said, walking over to his backpack. "I think ka-bobs are a good idea. I will, however, need wood for a fire. Anyone care to help?"   
  
"I will!" Tentomon volunteered, buzzing off to the forest, dipping down to the ground to snatch up kindling wood in a flight path that made him look like a demented red bee.   
  
"I'll get some bigger stuff!" Palmon said, turning towards a large cache of driftwood. "POISON IVY!" she cried, purple tendrils arcing out and wrapping tightly about a substantial piece. Grunting and straining, Palmon drug the log over.  
  
"That's great, Palmon." Benjamon said with a grin. "But it's a bit large to burn, isn't it?"   
  
Palmon blinked her large, fluid green eyes, and giggled. "Sorry."  
  
"Lemme through!" Gatomon said as she ran up, "I'm a hungry kitty, and I'll make short work of that scratching post! LIGHTNING CLAW!" Gatomon smashed her paw through the driftwood, splitting the sturdy trunk in half.   
  
TK ran over to Matt and hugged his leg firmly. "Are you okay now?" he asked, plaintively.   
  
"LIGHTNING CLAW!" Gatomon yelled again, leaping into the air and somersaulting. She came down forepaws first, each paw neatly severing the sections of driftwood in half again. "How's that?" she asked, looking up with large blue eyes.  
  
"Perfect, Gatomon!" Benjamon complimented the small champion, and was rewarded with a brief smile.  
  
Matt stopped staring at the bustle around Benjamon and looked down at his little brother. "Yes, I'm fine, TK. Just a bit surprised."  
  
Gomamon bounded across the beach as he brought stones to make a firebreak. Tentomon had returned with four clawfuls of small sticks, which he deposited neatly on the ground.  
  
"Excellent!" Benjamon said, all traces of his antagonism just minutes before gone. He opened his pack, and took out a large metal plate, several small vials of unknown contents, a medium sized cooler, and some napkins. He then picked out all of the forked sticks from Tentomon's pile, and placed them to the right and left of Gomamon's ring of stones, before setting up the wood for the fire.  
  
Tai turned to Matt. "Matt," he began, "I'm sorry."   
  
"That's all right." Matt replied. "I'm sorry, too." But deep within, Matt still felt that a compromise was not the way to go about beating the Dark Masters... And there was something else, something he couldn't quite place... A feeling of discomfort that grew whenever he looked at his friends.  
  
"Gabumon, could you come here, please?" Benjamon asked, looking at the dog-like Digimon. "I need the fire lit."  
  
After the meal, the Digi-Destined decided that they should get moving; and so, they went into the forest, into the darker regions of the Digi-world.  
  
"Where did you learn to cook like that?" Kari asked softly.  
  
Benjamon scratched his head, messing up his short brown hair. "I'm not sure. I've just always known. I never watched or read anything on cooking, I just do what feels, smells, looks, and tastes right."  
  
"What, a Digimon with cooking instincts?" Izzy asked, incredulous, "You had to have been programmed that way. The way you've been acting is more human than any other Digimon we've met. It is almost like you weren't created in the Digi-world."  
  
Benjamon kept silent, letting the genius speak.  
  
"And I've also been speculating about your crests and Digivice. Why do you have three crests? One is sufficient for our Digimon, so who would go through the bother of creating two more for a single Digimon? That seems highly inefficient. More like an elaborate human creation than the simplistic, efficiency driven creation of a computer."  
  
The forest grew thicker as they walked on, Benjamon dropping back to take the rear, scanning the undergrowth for any signs of movement. "Empty." He murmured, not seeing or hearing any 'wild' Digimon around him.   
  
Patamon's ears twitched, and the flying uberhampster took to the air. Sailing upwards, Patamon scoured the canopy with his deep blue eyes before gliding back to TK. "I'll say!" he chirped.  
  
TK looked up. "What was that, Patamon?" he asked, having not heard the first part of the conversation.  
  
Patamon blinked... "Benjamon said the forest seemed empty," he paraphrased, "So I decided that I should go see if there is anything out in the tree tops... There isn't a single Digimon that I could see."  
  
Benjamon sighed. "Well, I guess we are going to be stuck walking." He pulled out his Digivice and checked his reflection in the polished silver surface. The Digivice looked a bit worn, which struck him as being quite odd. The was no further time to think about it, as the ground suddenly jerked and began to move, knocking all but the sure-footed Gatomon to their feet.  
  
"What's happening?" Kari asked, watching the forest slide by as she stood still.  
  
"My guess is that it's some sort of conveyor belt," Izzy said, picking himself up.  
  
"If that's the case, may I recommend we get off NOW?" Joe asked, picking up Gomamon and running for the stationary ground next to the belt.  
  
"Good idea!" Tai shouted, running over with Koromon in his arms.  
  
The Digi-Destined fled the moving forest belt, except for Benjamon, who had turned around and was jogging lightly against the belt, remaining in the same position.  
  
"Just like the airport, only with cleaner air," Benjamon grinned as he easily paced the rolling belt.  
  
And at Puppetmon's mansion...  
  
"Eh? What's that guy doing?" Puppetmon wondered, jabbing at a button on his remote control. The forest floor began to roll faster... The striding figure maintained its position on his screen, not moving backward one jot. "What?" Puppetmon stood up, scratching one leg irritably as he stabbed at the remote again. The belt moved faster yet, but the lone figure on the screen refused to budge.  
  
"Master," Kiwimon began in his airily condescending voice, "Might I suggest you concentrate on the other children?"   
  
"No!" Puppetmon screeched, tapping the belt up to full speed, "I want to take care of this one first! He's not playing fair!"  
  
Benjamon ran, arms pumping, legs pounding the ground as he matched the rolling belt millimeter for millimeter. Dancing left and right, he avoided the rocks, trees and holes that appeared on the ground scrolling by him.   
  
"Show off." Matt grumbled.  
  
"Hey, Benjamon! Come on!" Sora yelled.  
  
"What?" Benjamon turned his head to reply...  
  
THOCK!  
  
"Ha! Got him!" Puppetmon gloated, "Now, for the others!" He scanned the remote cameras, and found the Digi-Destined. "Can't hide from meee!" he sang, activating that belt as well.  
  
Benjamon's face was pressed against a tree. Not just his face, but his entire body was wrapped around the trunk. In his moment of distraction, Benjamon failed to notice the same tree in his path, and in looking away, had met the cursed thing head on.   
  
Puppetmon stopped the first belt.   
  
"YAAAAARG!" Benjamon shouted as the sudden halt threw him twenty feet, and skid five more. He would have gone farther except for the handy rock he caught between his legs. "ouch!" he squeaked, falling onto his backpack.  
  
"Benjamon! Are you all right?" Kari called as the Digi-Destined began to move again. Kari ran out to the dazed Digimon.  
  
"Thank you waiter... I'll have the Lobster Thermadore." Benjamon slurred, his face red and eyes crossed.  
  
Joe ran out after Kari. "He's in shock." The aspiring doctor diagnosed, "And we need to prop his head up. Face is red, raise the head, and all that."  
  
"Oh, I've got plenty of nothin', and nothin's wrong with mmeeee..." Benjamon crooned erratically.   
  
The belt began to move again, slowly, deeper into the forest.  
  
Matt jumped over to the first belt, landing neatly beside Kari.  
  
"Matt, could you help Joe and I move him?" Kari asked.  
  
"He's tough, he can move himself." Matt grinned, {I've been waiting for an opportunity like this} he thought, hunkering down and raising his hand.   
  
"This is a test of the emergency broadcast system," Benjamon began, "BEEEEEEEE...."  
  
SWACK! Matt's gloved hand slapped against Benjamon's red cheek. {That was for shouting at me!} he thought, smiling. THWAP! The backhand swing caught the other cheek. {And that's for being so arrogant!}  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Joe shouted, his eyes wide behind the huge glasses.  
  
"Slapping me back to reality." Benjamon stated, his voice still a bit high.  
  
Matt blinked. "Huh? It worked?"  
  
Kari helped Benjamon to his feet. "I think we'd better get going. I'm done with the treadmill." He said, picking Kari up and leaping to the others.  
  
"Why, that...!" Matt began, then ran off to the others, Joe lagging slightly behind.  
  
"I got him!" Puppetmon chortled again.  
  
"Yes, master, you certainly did." Kiwimon said, blinking his green eyes slowly underneath the bone helmet.  
  
"He he he! Huh? Hey, where'd they go?" Puppetmon cried, switching cameras madly. "I need a new cable company!"  
  
"Great idea, climbing the trees..." Benjamon said, rubbing his jaw tenderly.  
  
"I'll bet there's a Dark Master behind all this." Sora said, clinging to the tree while Biyomon leaned against her.  
  
"Right! So we need to go fight whoever it is!" Tai said, gripping the branch tightly.  
  
"Tai, would you just go chill out?" Matt replied, a slight edge coming into his voice.   
  
Benjamon shook his head, and jumped off into a neighboring tree, deciding that he just couldn't do anything about Tai and Matt, and perhaps he'd be better off leaving them alone.   
  
"Hey! Where are you going?" Kari called after him.   
"Scouting the area." Benjamon answered gruffly, moving off through the canopy.   
  
After he moved far enough away from the others that he felt his appearance wouldn't tell the enemy where they were, Benjamon dropped to the forest floor, and waited for the ground to move.  
  
Nothing... The forest was silent.  
  
"AAAAAHHH!" something screamed, directly behind him.   
  
Benjamon yelped and jumped in surprise, legs moving before he touched the ground. After several seconds of tearing towards the trees, the rookie skidded to a halt. "Wait. I know that voice..." he said, turning. "MIMI? How'd you get here?" he asked, confused.  
  
"I don't know!" Mimi said, her eyes wide. "People just started disapp..." Mimi vanished.  
  
"Huh? Wha... Izzy?" Benjamon sputtered as the short computer wizard suddenly occupied the space Mimi had just vanished from.  
  
"Something's controlling us!" Izzy was lifted from the ground, and disappeared.   
  
"I can't take this!" Benjamon protested as Sora flashed in.   
  
"You're not the only one!" Sora said, nodding. "At least you're..." Sora popped out of existence.   
  
Benjamon gaped, and ran through the woods to try and find the others. "What's causing this?" he asked rhetorically while he struggled to figure it out.   
  
He ran on, deftly moving between trees.  
  
"...I'll kill your brother!" a nasal voice threatened from the right.  
  
Benjamon stopped. "What?" he asked himself in a whisper. "Who's that?"   
  
"TK, no! Don't listen! He'll muumph!" the voice was immediately recognizable as Matt. Benjamon drew close, taking care not to make any noise as he sneaked up on the clearing.  
  
"Well?" the unfamiliar voice asked.  
  
A few moments of silence passed.  
  
"Okay! But don't hurt Matt!" TK agreed, the contract being discussed unknown to Benjamon.  
  
"Let's go!"   
  
There were some rustlings, as of brush being pushed aside. Benjamon threw caution to the winds and burst into the clearing. Too late. TK and the stranger were gone. Matt, trussed up in red string, lay alone on the ground, squirming. Running over, Benjamon shifted the Crest of Honor into the bladed gauntlet, and cut off the crimson strands. Matt instantly got to his feet. "TK!" he shouted, and tried to run off.  
  
"What happened?" Benjamon demanded, holding Matt's shoulders firmly.  
  
"Puppetmon took TK and he's going to kill him!" Matt cried, trying to break away.  
"Which way did they go?" Benjamon barked.  
  
"That way! Let me go!" Matt pointed to a section of brush that was slightly disturbed.   
  
"Not unless you give up your suicidal instinct and stay here. You heard Puppetmon! He'd kill you!"   
  
"But he's gonna kill TK!"  
  
"Leave protecting TK to me for now. I can Digivolve and stand a chance against Puppetmon. Without Gabumon, it'd just be you and an evil mega Digimon who wouldn't think twice about reducing you to worm fodder. How would you protect TK from six feet under?"  
  
Matt faltered, and Benjamon let go. "Tell the others what's happening, Matt." He said, and took off after Puppetmon and TK.  
  
"How does he keep doing this to me?!" Matt fumed, pounding his fist into a tree. "He makes me stay and wait while he plays a hero!"  
  
"Ha ha ha! We're gonna have real fun when we get to my house, TK!" Puppetmon cackled as he led his captive through the woods.  
  
"If you say so..." TK murmured, thinking about his brother being left alone and tied up like a holiday ham.  
  
"Hold it!" Benjamon crashed through the undergrowth, Digivice at the ready as it lay in the palm of his hand.   
  
"Huh?" Puppetmon spun around, drawing his mallet.  
  
"Benjamon!" TK said happily.  
  
"Let TK go, you automaton!" Benjamon declared, not willing to use clichés.   
  
"Automawhat?" Puppetmon scratched at his head.  
  
Benjamon sighed. "Automaton: An early, commonly doll-like robot, utilizing clockwork to perform movements imitating humans. Essentially, a complicated puppet." He explained, hands on hips. "You're really ruining the flow, you realize."  
  
"Ooooh! An AUTOmaton! Why didn't you say?"   
  
"I did! Weren't you listening?!"  
  
TK looked from Puppetmon to Benjamon, confused. "What about me?" he cried.  
  
"Oh, right..." Benjamon said sheepishly, "TK! Get back to the others! I'll handle this block of wood!"  
  
"Oh, you will, will you?" Puppetmon mocked Benjamon.  
  
"Benjamon Digivolve to..."  
  
The silver Digivice sparked like a firework and went dark.   
"What's wrong? Why isn't it working?" Benjamon shook his Digivice, while Puppetmon fell on the ground, laughing hysterically.   
  
"Benjamon Digivolve to..."  
  
Nothing happened.  
"TK, RUN!" Benjamon shouted, moving to scoop up the youngest Digi-Destined.  
  
"I'm sorry, but you can't do that!" Puppetmon almost sang as he stepped between Benjamon and TK. "PUPPET PUMMEL!"   
  
Puppetmon swung his huge hammer in a flat arc, crashing the head of the mallet into Benjamon's torso with the sickening crunch of breaking bones as the attack smashed several ribs, ruptured organs and tore tissue. Benjamon flew back the way he came, shadows quickly obscuring his doubled-up body.  
  
"I can't believe it! I'm TK's brother, Not Tai, not Benjamon! Why does everyone else end up with TK, while I end up alone? It's not fair!" Matt yelled to the sky, turning away from the tree in disgust and flopped onto the ground.  
  
Humans sometimes have unexpected insight into the future. This may be a modified survival instinct triggered by the subconscious. Or, it may just be a plot point in the story. Whatever it is, Matt's head snapped back to the shadowy recesses that had swallowed TK, Puppetmon, and Benjamon. Seconds later, the sound of multitudes of branches and twigs being ripped from the trees filled the clearing.  
  
"What's happening?" Matt wondered, getting to his feet and stepping back from the thick trunk of the tree. The crackling noises suddenly ceases as Benjamon, backpack and body ripped and punctured by the flanges of trees, sped through the air and savagely collided with the tree, a sickening snap of severed vertebrae reverberating about the glen.  
  
Benjamon's red backpack had not been designed to take such stresses from inside and out; it burst, spewing spices, bandages, metal, plastic- and five small roses of varying colors. Ironically, a single, ice blue rose fell on Benjamon's nearly still form.  
  
"Oh my god..." Matt choked, clapping his hands to his mouth to stave off the urge to retch violently.  
"Matt... I ... I couldn't Digivolve..." Benjamon rasped, his Digivice a charred husk that dropped from his limp hand. "Why?" he asked, pain-wracked golden eyes crying, pleading for an answer.  
  
"I don't know." Matt murmured glancing over the numerous abrasions and the abdomen severely caved in by Puppetmon's hammer.  
  
"I'm sorry, Matt. I tried to save TK - and I failed you." Benjamon said listlessly, breaking into a hacking cough that brought up black, bloody bile.  
  
Matt felt sick and backed away. "What happened?" he asked softly, then as Benjamon's words sunk in a little deeper... "TELL ME!" he demanded.  
  
"I don't know!" Benjamon gasped hoarsely. "My short term memory is scattered. I'm just... trying to hold on."  
  
"Why?" Some of the edge left Matt's voice. "You'll just come back at Primary Village."  
  
"N... No. I'm not from the Digi-world. I've only got one life." Benjamon's eyes slowly dulled, and his skin growing ever paler. "Matt! I don't want to die! I'm scared..." He suddenly reached out and clasped Matt's hand. "Promise me that..."  
  
Benjamon never finished.  
The light left his eyes, and his clammy hand slipped off Matt's, falling to the grass slowly, much like the inexorable falling of a logged tree.  
  
"I never liked him," the lone Digi-Destined murmured. "But I never wanted him dead."  
  
  
Is Benjamon really dead? Is the fanfic kick over for Drowzee1? Tune in next time for the second installment of 'Puppetmon's Playtime!'  
  
Review here, and send suggestions to drowzee1@wa.freei.net  
  
  
  



	8. Puppetmon's Playtime, Part two

Puppetmon's Playtime (Part two)  
  
Scene: Now deep into the forest, the Digi-Destined have begun their second encounter with the Dark Master Puppetmon. TK has been taken captive by the evil doll, and in attempting to rescue him, Benjamon discovered he couldn't Digivolve and has been killed by Puppetmon's Puppet Pummel. We now rejoin our story...  
  
On Benjamon's chest, the pale blue rose unfurled its petals and grew, leaves reaching out and rapidly spreading across the still body, tendrils wrapping about his form as the rose expanded hugely, sinking roots into the soil. Matt drew back, stunned by the enormous plant that was now pulling itself upright. Then large bloom opened to the sun, releasing pollen that showered down around it in a shimmering translucent blue screen.  
  
It was enticing, and beautiful. The blossom filled the air with a subtle sweet odor that, for no reason at all, seemed to call Matt forward. Out of all the senses, smell is the strongest memory enhancer- and this scent brought back vivid memories of all the fun, happiness and love that Matt had experienced before his parents broke up. Evenings home when his father didn't work late, trips to the candy store; the memories became more detailed as he drew closer to the sparkling azure field. Finally, he reached out...  
  
His hand stopped at the surface of the swirling indigo pollen cloud, and something else appeared in his mind, snapshots of another life, and someone else's memories.  
  
It appeared to be just a normal, even boring life, at first... Shades of the past flickered through, showing a boy who didn't fit in because of behavior, who didn't get along with his peers as often as he did with adults. Focusing on study, school work, very intelligent academically, but hardly any friends. Harder assignments, new schools, new situations... Years flashed past... Work, study, hardship, survival. Attempts to deal with life's pain by laughing and joking on the surface, staying out of the way and keeping temper under control through years of slights, insults and threats. Then, computers. A great deal of focus on a date that the rest of Matt's mind dreamily identified as four years ago... A big event, unprecedented... massive curiosity, work, copy transmissions... showing something on a screen...cracking codes... lines forming a shape, then filling it in with color... A Gabumon? Matt's mind snapped back to the present in shock before a memory of hard work hit and washed him back down into it. Work. Years of work. Typing, more typing, studying the copied programs. Finally, exultation as a wire frame formed on a screen, becoming the image of the creator, the image memory showed in the mirror. A new Digimon, Benjamon.   
  
Again, Matt recoiled from memory as recognition broke in. But this time, experiences bombarded him, no longer completely human feeling, more cold and calculated. Darkness, then light. Zeros and ones... Finally, images, a reality. Pain, an enemy attacking. Fight. Keep fighting. Train, study fighting. Some purpose derived from copied data, something that would need help, would require a team member to fight, to protect, to give up life so that others might survive in a battle of utmost importance. Fight. Win. Learn. Efficient and high speed, move beyond reaction into intelligence. Tests. More zeros and ones. Other forms to take, more powerful, supplied by...someone... something missing. Cut from memory as with a scalpel, a precise slice taken away. Then, light, true light, sunlight. Smoke in a room, computer equipment. A pull towards the west. Something important in the west, across the sea. Run. Carry out duties to 'Digi-Destined'; save them, fight by them, and protect them at all costs. This was Benjamon's life.  
  
More recent events percolated through Matt's mind as the ground rumbled and shifted on the belts, bringing all the separated Digi-Destined into the same area. Fighting Phantomon, Myotismon...Something tapped him on the shoulder, and the memories faded away without a trace.  
  
"Matt, what's that?" Gabumon asked, pointing a forepaw at the gigantic flower.  
  
Her eyes closed, Mimi delicately sniffed the air... "Oh, it's lovely!" she breathed, opening her sparkling eyes.  
  
Joe sniffled, and sneezed once. "Figures that I'm allergic..." He moans, holding a handkerchief to his face and moving away from the rose.  
  
Tai gazed about the clearing, counting up his friends. "Hey, where's TK and Patamon?" he inquired.  
  
"And Benjamon?" Sora added, also doing a nose count of Digi-Destined and Digimon.  
  
Matt's state of shock was broken; he crashed to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "Puppetmon took TK!" he cried, flinching when Gabumon tried to put a comforting arm over his shoulders.  
  
"WHAT!?" the others said as one.  
  
"Puppetmon tied me up and threatened to kill me if TK didn't do what he said!"  
  
"That jerk! Where'd they go?" Kari fumed with surprising heat.  
  
Matt sobbed again, beating the ground with his gloved fist. "I don't know!" he shouted tearfully. "When Benjamon went after them, I knew, but now..." Matt trailed off into silence as he stifled his sobs.  
  
"Benjamon went after them?" Gomamon echoed, thinking.  
  
Palmon giggled, earning her an icy glare from Matt. "TK and Patamon should be fine, then!" She grinned, then swallowed, and took a step towards Mimi for protection from Matt's chilly gaze.  
  
"Benjamon's dead." Matt said quietly. "He couldn't Digivolve, and that rose over there ate him."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
It was at this time that TK knocked Puppetmon's Joe figurine over, forcing Joe to fall over as well.  
  
"Joe, are you all right?" Gomamon asked squeakily.   
  
"I'm fine, Gomamon." Joe replied, blinking. "But I'd like to know why this keeps happening to me!"  
  
"In the meantime," Gomamon said patiently, "WOULD YOU MIND GETTING OFF OF ME?"   
  
"Oh. Sorry, Gomamon." As Joe pushed himself to his feet, his hand closed around a black square. "What's this?"   
  
Rubbing the charred block with his thumb, the oldest Digi-Destined uncovered a silver surface, polished to a mirror-like finish. "Oh no!" he gasped. "It's Benjamon's Digivice!"  
  
Returning swiftly to the group, Joe held out the carbonized Digivice in the palm of his hand.  
  
"What happened to it?" Izzy asked Matt. "I've never seen damage to a Digivice before. It appears to have been overloaded and burned from the inside out, judging from the scorch marks." He concluded. "I wonder if I can get anything useful from it."  
  
Unholstering his yellow Pineapple computer, Izzy found it already active, a strange diagnostic program filling the screen as soon as Izzy put the damaged Digivice in.  
"Whoa! No wonder he couldn't Digivolve."   
  
"Hey Guys!" TK yelled as he emerged from the forest with Patamon following close behind.  
  
Green...Green all around...Pain... What happened? Where am I? Green...  
  
Tentomon pointed to the terminal with one gray claw. "Izzy, what's this program you're running?" he asked his friend.  
  
"I'm not running it, Tentomon." Izzy replied, moving back to his computer.  
  
"Then who is..."  
  
"Hey, mon! Don't touch that dial!" a rich, mellow voice exclaimed. A window opened on the screen, showing a tie-dyed Digimon with lustrous black hair and entrancing green eyes. "Peacemon's the name, and I'm poppin' in ta jive with ya about what's happenin' in my Flower Power."  
  
Digimon Analyzer:  
Peacemon: Ultimate level, Data type. Hallucinogenic plant Digimon.  
  
Peacemon is the owner of an underground combat arena. He may look undependable, but don't let that fool you; his healing abilities make for a powerful ally!  
  
The window closed, showing a rather annoyed Peacemon. "I love the intro, but I'm tryin' to tell you cats about your friend!" Peacemon took a long puff on his green rolled joint, looking at Izzy thoughtfully. "You are his friend, right?"  
  
"Most assuredly, yes!" Izzy replied, the Digi-Destined and Digimon present nodding in agreement.  
  
Another toke. "Cool. He did say he was down with the Digi-Destined, that's way groovy."  
  
"Well, what's happening?" Agumon asked, sticking his snout between Izzy and the screen to see.  
  
"Oh, right. I was drifting..." Peacemon drawled.  
  
"More like tripping." Joe muttered, making Mimi giggle softly.  
  
"I'll level with ya. Benjamon's hurt bad. How bad? Just take a look."  
  
Two windows popped up, one with an extensive list of injuries, in the other...  
  
"My God!" Sora whispered.  
  
"That's HORRIBLE!" Biyomon exclaimed, her pink wings covering her beak.  
  
Mimi gagged and spun away from...  
  
A picture of Benjamon, holed, pulped, lacerated, and bloody.  
  
Peacemon's window reappeared, overlaying the gruesome image. "I take it you that you Digi-Destined don't have strong stomachs."  
  
TK wailed; Patamon and Kari immediately went to his side, trying to comfort him.   
  
"Do us a favor and never show that again!" Gomamon half-shouted at Peacemon.  
  
"EVER!" Palmon exclaimed, gently holding Mimi.  
  
"I dig." Peacemon answered, closing the window.  
  
Green...Pain leaving...Why? Why couldn't I change?  
  
"Prodigious!" Izzy gasped, looking through Peacemon's program.  
  
"What is it, Izzy?" Joe asked, kneeling by the boy genius (and away from the flower pollen).  
  
"That rose is the most powerful data recovery and repair suite I've ever encountered! Antivirals, scanners, defragmentation, compression, recovery, decryption, encryption... Everything! If I could market this, I'd make every other security and data repair application obsolete!"  
  
"You flatter me, Mon!" Peacemon said smugly. "Now, you just have to let me work my mojo, and you won't have to scream when you next see this frood." He took a drag on his joint... "Say, there's some information here I just decoded... Wanna see it?"   
  
"Sure, why not?" Izzy answered.  
  
Digimon Analyzer:  
Benjamon: Rookie level, Vaccine type. Hero Outsider Digimon.   
  
Created in the analog world by a hacker, Benjamon represents pure chance, having no ascribed destiny. Powered by a passive energy retrieval program embedded deep in his coding, Benjamon and all his Digivolutions have access to practically unlimited power; he uses energy from his surroundings to form his attacks.  
As his creator, I want to remain unknown to him, so he can find his own path instead of looking to me. For more information, contact Drowzee1@...  
  
The profile encrypted itself, leaving only an e-mail address blinking on the screen.  
  
"Do you know what this means?" Izzy whispered reverently.   
  
"No..." Joe said slowly... "Should I?"  
  
"Benjamon doesn't even know his past! He thought he had corrupted his image to fit in, damaging his profile to line noise, but it was just encrypted! He's been given false memories, and programmed from the ground up! Such a complex program, given consciousness... This Drowzee1 not only had to learn about Digimon, but create one... And I'm betting that Benjamon and Drowzee1 have the same set of memories!" Izzy's mind raced, and his mouth struggled to keep up, creating a disjointed stream of consciousness... "Think of the time it took!"   
  
"Izzy, are you feeling all right?" Sora asked quizzically. "Do you need to go lay down somewhere?"  
  
Green... hardly any pain at all, now... Feel strange, shaking outside...Outside? Where am I? An explosion?  
  
As quickly as it had arisen, the pale blue rose withered, turning brittle and brown, splitting the stem asunder.   
  
Benjamon blinked owlishly as he stepped into a battleground.  
  
"ICE WOLF CLAW!" Metalgarurumon barked, firing a freezing ray of ice.  
  
"TERRA FORCE!" Wargreymon countered, summoning an energy ball to hurl at his fellow Mega.  
  
The two attacks met, destroying each other and rending the air. Not too far away, a distinct chuckle that verged on hysterical laughter emerged from Puppetmon's wooden mouth.  
Benjamon traced the noise, eyes narrowing as he looked upon the small Dark Master, upon the Digimon that had nearly deleted him.  
  
Metalgarurumon and Wargreymon clashed once again, filling the air with blinding light and cacophonous noise. Psisauromon wouldn't stand a chance against the warring Mega Digimon, so Digivolving was pointless.  
  
Looking around the clearing with the residual red glare that comes from looking at green for an extended period of time, he saw the Digi-Destined scattered about the glen, except for Tai and Matt, who were shouting something unintelligible as the area was once again filled by the sound of Metalgarurumon and Wargreymon's battle.  
  
"IZZY!" Benjamon roared above the din as he ran over to what was probably his best information source at this point. "WHAT CAUSED THIS?"  
  
"Welcome back!" Izzy replied. "While you were recovering in Peacemon's flower, Matt disappeared and..."   
  
"Came back in a really bad mood!" Gatomon finished as she went off in search of Kari.  
  
"Right! So..." Izzy continued.  
  
"Metalgarurumon challenged Agumon to a fight!" Tentomon added, flying over and scuttling up to Izzy.  
  
Izzy began to look annoyed, his left hand clenching into a fist. "Which is odd, considering..."  
  
"Gabumon couldn't Digivolve because Matt's crest wouldn't glow!" Palmon smiled, then her expression darkened. "Matt seemed really shocked, and left."  
  
"ARRGH! Can't I finish a sentence without someone interrupting?!" Izzy yelled, pulling at his hair.  
  
"I'm sorry, were you saying something?" Gomamon asked impishly, wisely staying out of Izzy's reach.   
  
"AAAAAHH! Here's something no one else can tell you! I found out why you couldn't Digivolve!"  
  
"YOU DID?" Benjamon shouted happily, impulsively hugging Izzy. "What was wrong?"  
  
"You stayed Champion for so long and used so much energy that you burned out your Digivice. Lucky for you, everything here is software, data, and I managed to get it to refresh. It's fine now." Izzy removed the silver Digivice from the slot in his computer that Gennai had installed just before the Digi-Destined had left the Digi-world for the first time. He passed it to Benjamon, who accepted it gratefully.   
  
"Thanks, but why hasn't anyone tried to stop this stupid fight?" Benjamon asked, looking at Matt and Tai, who were now exchanging blows and rolling on the ground.  
  
"How can we?" Sora asked in response.   
  
"None of us can stand up to them!" TK sniffled, distraught at his brother's actions.  
  
Benjamon nodded, and whirled to face Tai and Matt. "Why in the Digi-World do you keep fighting?!" he demanded, listening to the laughter of Puppetmon become so frequent as to be continuous. "Can't you see Puppetmon's behind this strife?"  
  
The laughter ceased as a wave of light swept over the battlefield, transporting the Digi-Destined and their Digimon... Elsewhere.  
  
Benjamon stood alone. "Failed." He whispers. "I've failed to protect the Digi-Destined. Now the worlds are doomed..." tears flowed down from under his glasses, and he clenched his hands into fists with rage as memories of laughter echo in his ears; his eyes ablaze with anger, pupils narrowing to vertical lines of hate. "Puppetmon's fault!" he snarls. "Puppetmon will DIE! Failed... FAILED!!"  
  
Benjamon Digivolved, murder in his heart.  
  
What happens now? You'll find out in the next episode of Dragon B...  
Umm... The Benjamon Story... yeah. That's right...  
  
I'd like to thank Cutiemon for the use of her character, Peacemon, without whom, this would not be possible (within the realm of realistic explanations).  



	9. The Ties that Bind

The Ties that Bind  
Scene: The Digi-Destined have returned from the dream-like revelations of the Digi-World's creators, and find a wasteland as well as a world-threatening challenge from an unlikely foe.  
  
"Kari!" Tai held his little sister gently in his arms. "Are you all right?"  
  
The other Digi-Destined huddled around the young brunette, helping her back to her feet.  
  
"Say, what happened to the forest?" Biyomon chirped as she surveyed the land around the group.  
  
"Huh? It's gone!" Sora exclaimed. "It's completely destroyed!"  
  
They were in a zone of death. It was as if a meteor had hit or a volcano erupted, leveling the trees, incinerating the forest, reducing the land to soot and cinders that crumbled underfoot and blew away in the breezes.  
  
"There's still forest out there, maybe half a mile away." Palmon said, the cactus Digimon's affinity for plants informing her of their continued presence outside the sterile wastes.   
  
Tai pulled out his pocket telescope and looked into the forest. "The trees out there seem fine, not a burn mark on 'em, and..." He stopped, and shivered. "That's eerie... I could have sworn I saw two glowing red eyes, but they're gone now..."  
  
The instant Tai put the telescope away, a keening wail of despair rose into the air, filling the land with a scream of anguish. The cry echoed about the Digi-Destined with bone-chilling clarity, even though the source couldn't be seen.  
  
"Speaking of eerie..." Joe shuddered.  
  
"That's not eerie!" Mimi corrected, holding Joe's arm tightly, "That's positively chilling!"  
  
"How sad." Kari murmured as the noise continued, lament and loss threaded through the howling.  
  
"What's that, Kari?" TK asked, moving close as the whole group bunched together, anxiously watching the forest for motion, light...Anything that could tell them what was happening.  
  
"Can't you hear the pain?" the ever-empathic Kari asked. "It's lost something...Or someone-very close to it."  
  
Gatomon regarded her Digi-Destined, her large blue eyes quizzical. "You're weird, Kari." She said. "Not that that's a bad thing."  
  
The mournful wailing ceased; in the distance, loud bass groans and creaks rumbled, sounding like a collapsing building. At the forest's edge, four large trees swayed, then toppled over heavily, the sounds of their descent delayed from the sight of their fall. When they crashed to the ground, great columns of ash billowed up like mushroom clouds, hiding what lay beyond.  
  
"I don't like being out in the open, Matt." Gabumon stated, rubbing up against Matt's leg for security.   
  
"Me either." Matt began. "It's too..." Whatever Matt said was lost in a bone-chilling howl of animalistic rage.  
  
"No need to translate that, Kari!" Izzy exclaimed, staring at the blooming soot clouds. "Let's get out of here!"  
  
Apparently, everyone thought this was an excellent idea, as no one objected and ran (or flew) off over the decimated land.   
  
The snarling grew in volume, and when Tai risked a glance over his shoulder, something was chasing them! In the boiling dust storms kicked up by their feet, knowing exactly what it was became impossible, except to see that it was moving fast and kicking up a large ash cloud of its own.  
  
"It's gaining on us!" Tai yelled, causing a massive surge of adrenaline in the Digi-Destined that pushed them into the forest, puffing and staggering farther into the trees.  
  
"Gabumon!" Matt rasped as he caught his breath, "Can you fight?"  
  
"Sure thing... Matt." Gabumon panted, turning around to face...whatever it was that pursued them.  
  
The creature entered the forest, snarling. "PuPPeTMoN!" it grated, slashing at an unoffending tree. "PuPPeTMoN WiLL Die!!"  
  
There was a moment of silence, then the tree slid along the cut, crashing into the dirt.  
  
"What?" Sora gaped, staring back at the red eyes in the silhouetted shape.  
  
Moving slowly forward, the mysterious Digimon entered a patch of sunlight.  
  
It was squat and compact, heavily muscled, and solid red. It looked and moved like a hairless gorilla, knuckling along on all fours, standing occasionally on its hind legs to glare around the wood with the baleful red eyes like searchlights. There were no fingers or toes; rather, three long, blade-like claws adorned the end of each appendage, biting deep into the earth with every step. Jagged silver spikes were scattered thickly across the broad red back, and the wolfish muzzle perpetually exhibited its knife-like metal teeth. Triangular red eyes glowed malevolently, sunken under a heavy, jutting brow. Scars in rows of three looked self-inflicted, some still bled, oozing black liquid.   
  
It lurched toward Gabumon a step, then wailed and fell to the ground. "FaiLeD!" it sobbed, scarlet tears flowing down its snout. "MaTT DeaD! SoRa DeaD! aLL DeaD!"  
  
"WHAT?!!" Matt exclaimed, stepping out from behind the tree that kept him from view. Gasps from behind other trees suggested that everyone had pretty much the same reaction to the statement of the crying hulk that beat the ground, crying.   
  
"FaiLeD! FaiLeD!" it whimpered, then stood up, voice instantly changing to an enraged bellow. "PuPPeTMoN... PuPPeTMoN FauLT!"  
  
"Matt!" TK cried, running toward his brother with Patamon in his arms, "Be careful!"  
  
"Stay back, TK!" Matt shouted back, raising a clenched fist. "We don't know what we're dealing with!"  
  
The red Digimon looked toward the commotion. "MaTT?" it asked dazedly, shambling nearer. "No... MaTT DeaD! PuPPeTMoN KiLL!" stopping, the strange Digimon cried again. "WHY ToRMeNT BeRSeRKeRMoN WiTH MaTT iMaGe?!" Berserkermon sniveled, wiping away bloody tears with the back of one bladed paw.  
  
"Berserkermon?" Izzy said, bringing up the profile.  
  
Digimon Analyzer:  
Berserkermon: Final solution Digimon.  
Level: Champion.  
Type: Vaccine.  
  
In the event that the Digi-Destined should be destroyed, Benjamon Digivolves into Berserkermon, the most powerful champion it is possible to create, with the express purpose of avenging the Digi-Destined. His 'Fires of Hate' attack acts as a conduit for the combined anger and hate of the Internet, channeling and focusing them into a powerful fireball capable of leveling mountains. This power comes with a price: Massive mental instability. This makes for dangerously unpredictable behavior, confusion, incredible aggressiveness, and the unusual side effect of invincibility to attack.  
The chaos of Berserkermon's mind is such that he cannot recognize damage, and this incapacity is so strong, it prevents his algorithms from being damaged. Tremble, evil, for Judgement approacheth thee!  
-Drowzee1  
Izzy froze, trembling. "If this is true..." he whispered in a quavering voice...  
  
"Then the Digi-world is doomed!" Joe finished gloomily, wrapping his arms about Mimi.  
  
Berserkermon lumbered toward Gabumon. "PuPPeTMoN!"  
  
"No! Gabumon!" the reptile Digimon with a fur coat shot back, holding his ground.  
  
Berserkermon shook his read head, as if to shake the haze of confusion away. "Ga...Ga-Bu-MoN?" he said, slowly. "No! GaBuMoN DeaD! SaW Die!"  
  
Berserkermon lunged, claws flashing in the dappled light filtering through the forest canopy.  
  
"Gabumon WARP Digivolve to...METALGARURUMON!"  
"Agumon WARP Digivolve to... WARGREYMON!"  
  
Berserkermon crashed into Metalgarurumon's left wing, and tried to chew it off, grinding the blades of his teeth against the armor.  
  
"What?" Metalgarurumon blinked, craning his neck to look. "Well, This is handy." Turning towards a large oak tree, the metal wolf slammed the red champion into the trunk, embedding his back spikes in the wood. When Metalgarurumon pulled back, Berserkermon remained attached to the tree, his arms and legs flailing like saw blades, slicing the trees to the left and right and causing them to fall, letting more light through the thick leaves of the canopy.  
  
"All right!" Matt cheered. "Now, finish him off!"  
  
"Wait!" Kari cried out, but Metalgarurumon was already firing.  
  
"GIGA MISSILE!" he yelled, a large, high-yield warhead blasting out of his chest cavity.  
  
"Get down!" Tai screamed, and everyone dropped to the forest floor as the explosive hit Berserkermon in the chest, unleashing its destructive fury.  
  
After the ground had stopped shaking and the air had cleared outside the blast radius, the Digi-Destined got to their feet slowly in the new clearing.  
  
"You got him!" Wargreymon roared, "And we thought he was invin..."  
  
In the crater, the settling dust turned an angry crimson.  
  
"FiReS oF HaTe!" Berserkermon bellowed, leaping out of the crater with a churning red sphere in his claws. Leaning back on one foot, Berserkermon cocked his arm, then launched the fireball into the sky, rolling it off of his slightly curved claws.  
  
"He survived?" Matt said, incredulous.   
  
"He missed?" Tai asked in the same tone.   
  
"But he took it right in the..."  
  
"It was at point-blank..."  
  
"I don't think he missed." Izzy stated, looking up... "Hey, what's strange about that red ball?"  
  
Tai and Sora, soccer players, noticed at once. "It's going up, but it's not getting smaller!"  
  
"What does that mean, Joe?" Gomamon asked his Digi-Destined, who had started to tremble anew.  
  
"It's getting bigger!" Joe exclaimed. "We've got to get out of here!"  
  
Sora and Biyomon were already moving, Digivolving to Birdramon, then Garudamon. "Climb in!" The giant bird woman bellowed, collecting the Digi-Destined and Digimon. She launched into the air, flying swiftly away from the expanding fireball.  
  
"I think we're safe, now..." Sora breathed, looking back.  
  
"I hope so, if he's even stronger than Angemon!" Patamon squeaked as his ears accidentally tickled TK, making him giggle despite the seriousness of the situation.   
  
Izzy mumbled his agreement as he worked at his pineapple.  
  
Garudamon turned pi radians around (180 degrees) and watched as the pulsing sphere, now a mile across, hit the ground, enveloping the forest in a dome of red and orange flames that striped the hemisphere from top to bottom.  
  
"So THAT'S what happened to the forest!" Mimi said, on the verge of tears. "What if there were some good Digimon in there?"  
  
"I don't think they survived, Mimi...Berserkermon's just trying to stop the Dark Masters, even though he'll turn the whole Digi-World into a lifeless husk doing it." Kari said sadly, hugging Gatomon close.  
  
"We are in serious trouble!" Matt yelled from Metalgarurumon's back as they flew beside Garudamon.  
  
"That's an understatement if I ever heard one." Izzy commented, sitting back. "There."  
  
"What did you do, Izzy?" Sora asked, hoping that the most computer savvy of the group could come up with an answer.   
  
"Since we can't stop Berserkermon, the only chance we have is that Drowzee1 wrote in a termination code, some trigger that would halt the program. If he's worth his salt as a programmer, he should have one. So, I sent him an e-mail." Izzy answered smoothly.  
  
"You're saying you can't stop him?" TK asked, worried.  
  
"There's no shame in asking for help in a life or death situation." Izzy replied sagely.  
  
"I can agree with that." Tai said, earnestly.  
  
"Look!" Tentomon cried, pointing to the forest below.  
  
From the now incinerated impact zone, a steady line of trees were falling directly under the path that Garudamon flew. As they watched, two more trees groaned and toppled.  
  
"He's following us!" Gomamon yelled.  
  
"I hope that this Drowzee1 has an answer, and soon." Gatomon whispered from Kari's arms.  
  
In the analog world, on the West Coast of America, it was midnight. Not that that stopped some people, specifically Internet junkies, programmers, and hackers, from being online. The eccentric computer geek Drowzee1 sat in a plush executive style chair, reading reviews on Slashdot, when...  
  
"Huh? Who's writing me at this hour?" He mutters to himself, turning his chair to face the mail server that hummed away next to him, a layover from an unsuccessful attempt to become an ISP.  
  
Drowzee1 fell out of the chair with a crash, losing his glasses on the floor. "Benjamon!" he exclaimed, groping around for his eyewear. "And the Digi-Destined!" he looked over blearily at a towering stack of printouts that contained the hardcopy coding for Benjamon and all his Digivolutions. His hand closed about his spectacles, and he threw them on, replying to Izzy's request as fast as he could, fingers flying across the keys.   
"Oh, Dear!" he muttered, too polite to swear. "I just hope they can hold out!"   
  
Drowzee1 hit enter and sent the reply on its way. Less than a minute had passed; would the reply be in time?  
  
"Oh, no!" Izzy groaned. "I forgot the time difference!"  
  
Tentomon looked shaken at this. "You forgot something?"  
  
"Even if Drowzee1 replied instantly it will take a while to get here, at one minute analog time equaling one day Digi-time, we could be waiting all day, maybe even several!"  
  
"WHAT?" Tai yelled, grabbing Izzy's collar and jerking him to his feet.  
  
"Tai, he's trying!" Kari interceded, and Tai sighed, letting go.  
  
"Sorry." He apologized.  
  
"It's no problem. You're just panicked because of a distressing situation." Unflappable as ever, Izzy readily accepted the apology.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Sora asked, looking up at Garudamon. "Just fly around until Garudamon tires and drops us into Berserkermon's path?"  
  
"Don't worry, Sora." Garudamon said reassuringly. "I won't get tired for a while yet."  
  
"I think he's turning!" Gomamon called, still tracking Berserkermon's path, which now veered at right angles to their flight path. Over the wind, the Digi-Destined heard:  
"PuPPeTMoN!"  
  
"Wha? Who are you?"  
  
"PuPPeTMoN Die!"  
  
"We'll see about that! PUPPET PUMMEL!"  
  
Garudamon circled and hovered over the impromptu battlefield.   
  
"This should be good." Matt said from Metalgarurumon's back.  
  
Berserkermon deflected Puppetmon's multi-shot attack with his claws, the little light balls scattering about the trees. He advanced, step by heavy step. "PuPPeTMoN KiLL TK!" Berserkermon raged.  
  
"I never did that!" the small Dark Master screeched, holding his mallet to keep the red fury at bay. "Sure, I tried, but... PUPPET PUMMEL!"  
  
Striking the ground, Puppetmon sent up a firewall to engulf and destroy Berserkermon in the same way that he had deleted Cherrimon.   
  
"FiReS oF HaTe!" Berserkermon howled, unscathed. The devastating orb leapt from his claws, barreling towards Puppetmon.  
  
"PUPPET PUMMEL!" Puppetmon swung his mallet like a baseball bat, connecting with the fireball beautifully. However, hate is difficult to redirect once started, and instead of knocking the oscillating red and orange sphere back, Puppetmon ruptured the ball like a popped balloon, and the resulting backlash caught the Dark Master's hammer in an explosive vortex of fire that picked up both hammer and owner, tossing them high over the trees as easily as a child threw a pebble.  
  
"I'll get youuuuuu!" Puppetmon promised as he became a speck in the sky.  
  
"Anything yet, Izzy?" Tentomon whispered.  
  
Izzy shook his head, not wanting to bring Berserkermon's attention upon them.  
  
"FaiLeD! FaiLeD PRoTeCT!" Berserkermon gibbered, bawling again. "DiViDe BY ZeRo, FaiLeD!"   
  
"Divide by zero?" Palmon wondered, standing on tip-roots to peer down at the insane champion. "That can't be done, can it?"  
  
Joe nodded. "It's impossible." He paused. "My math teacher once asked me to try, and I went nuts trying to do it."  
  
"Of course!" Izzy exclaimed.  
  
Berserkermon looked up mournfully, scarlet tears dripping over silver teeth.  
  
"What do you mean, Izzy?" Mimi asked, who was, like Palmon, looking over Garudamon's fingers at the forest below.  
  
"I think he uses the number of Digi-Destined to decide who to protect. For instance, if we broke into two groups of three and five, he'd go with the group of three, because they'd need more protection."  
  
"Yeah, so?" Tai grumped, trying to keep up.  
  
"So when we all disappeared, he had no way to make a ratio! The result would be zero Digi-Destined in a group divided by zero total Digi-Destined."  
  
"And because he's so literal and protective, he couldn't avoid the instruction." Kari said with her usual insight.  
  
"Precisely!"  
  
"This doesn't help us at all, though." Matt yelled. "We know he's nuts, knowing why he's nuts is beside the point!"  
  
"It tells us what has to be done to stop him!" Izzy shouted back. "If we can make him accept that even one of us is alive, then the balance becomes one over one, and then he won't be subject to dividing by zero!"  
  
"We need to make Berserkermon see us?" TK asked, watching the ape-like Digimon alternate between intense sorrow and frightful anger, his own eyes tearing up with sympathy.  
  
Izzy nodded firmly. "Remember how he hesitated when he saw Matt? His initial coding was trying to reassert itself."  
  
Tai snapped his fingers. "Then why don't we all go down at once? Make sure he recognizes us!"  
  
"I don't know, Tai." Mimi said dubiously. "I don't really know if he'll stay calm long enough for us to approach him safely..."  
  
"What have we got to lose?"  
  
"Our lives, for one thing!" Sora snapped, irritated at Tai's lack of common sense.  
  
"We can't just fly around all day." Wargreymon rumbled. "I'm getting bored."  
  
"Do we want to try?" Tai asked rhetorically, "Or do we want to wait around for an answer that might not exist, or ever come?" he looked at the startled faces of his friends.  
  
"Well," Izzy began, scratching his head nervously. "When you put it that way..."  
  
Slowly, Joe swallowed and nodded. "If we have to, I'd rather face him in daylight than at night." He admitted.  
  
"It's scary, but we have to be brave!" TK stated as firmly as he could, clutching Patamon to his chest.  
  
"I guess I make a majority." Sora sighed. "Let's go down and meet our misguided avenger."  
  
Garudamon and Metalgarurumon sailed down to the ground, letting the Digi-Destined off, but staying close, just in case.  
  
"Hey, Berserkermon!" Tai shouted, waving his hands. "We're okay! You can stop now!"  
  
The other children face-faulted, falling to the ground with a thud.  
  
"I don't think it's that simple, Tai," Said Mimi, who was well acquainted with being simple before her adventures forced her to grow.  
  
"Well, what did you want?" Tai demanded. "A speech?"  
  
"Sure, if you have one." Gomamon replied.  
  
Tai gritted his teeth, and advanced on the seal Digimon, who was now staring at Tai, open-mouthed. "Yeah, that's right, Gomamon." Tai sneered. "You think you're so funny, but..."  
  
"TAI! LOOK OUT!" Wargreymon yelled, leaping toward his Digi-Destined with Dramon destroyers extended.  
  
"Wha...AIEE!" Tai screamed as a pair of stocky red arms with foot-long blades wrapped about him from behind and jerked him away from Wargreymon.  
  
The blades of the Dramon Destroyers punched deep into the ground directly behind where Tai had stood mere picoseconds before.   
  
A cold nose pressed into Tai's back, and he yelped loudly, spinning around in the scarlet arms.  
  
Berserkermon disengaged his grip, and stepped back, sniffing. "SMeLL LiKe Tai." Berserkermon grumbled, sauntering over to smell each Digi-Destined in turn.  
Sniff. "So...Ra." Sniff. "J...Joe."  
  
Berserkermon's eyes turned lighter shades of red as he smelled each child.  
Sniff... Sniffle... "M...MMMM..." he halted, making strange faces, nose twitching.  
  
"Mimi?" Mimi supplied helpfully.  
  
"N..." Berserkermon said hesitantly, then turned away, exposing the metallic spikes of his back to her.  
  
"Well, I never!"  
  
Berserkermon sneezed noisily, ripping up a large divot to wipe his muzzle.  
  
"Oh! Bless you!" Mimi exclaimed, freezing suddenly as Berserkermon turned and smelled her again.  
  
Sniff. "MiMi"  
Snort. "iS iS... iZZY"  
Sniff. "Tee...KaY"  
Sniffle... "KaRi"  
And finally, after a long, drawn-out smell... "MaTT!" clawed paws swept about the Digi-Destined instantly, catching Matt in an enormous bear hug, lifting the startled blond from the ground and stamping with delight. "MaTT! MaTT! MaTT!" Berserkermon nearly sang, eyes now glowing a radiant pink as he tenderly returned Matt to his feet.  
  
"I think it's working!" Matt whispered hoarsely.  
  
"I think he likes you!" Tai jeered, smiling as Matt gave him a look that spoke eloquently of long, sharp daggers.  
  
Pink eyes flicked back to red. "BuT DeaD?"  
  
"We're alive!" Kari assured him, stepping carefully over and placing one small hand on the meaty shoulder.  
  
"aLiVe?" Berserkermon asked, eyes pink again.  
  
"Yes!" Gatomon exclaimed. "Alive!"  
  
"BuT SaW Die!" Berserkermon's triangular eyes returned to a baleful red. "SaW Die, BeRSeRKeRMoN CHaNGe To FiGHT FoR DeaD?" A shake of the head, paws going up to hold the thick skull. "BuT DeaD aLiVe! No! DeaD DeaD! No! DeaD aLiVe!" Berserkermon screamed in pain, and jerked away from Kari's hand. He staggered off, clawing at the trees and weeping.  
  
"Can someone tell me what just happened?" Matt asked quietly as another screech filtered through the wood. "And why was he smelling us?"   
  
"What about his eyes?" Sora added, puzzled as she looked where Berserkermon had disappeared.  
  
"Animals have great senses of smell." Gatomon explained. "He was identifying you by your scent."  
  
"As for the eyes, maybe a show of internal conflict?" Joe suggested.  
  
"Yeah! His eyes were that horrible red while he claimed we were dead, and that rosy pink when he said we weren't!" Mimi happily declared.  
  
"That's as good a guess as any," Tai said.  
  
"It didn't work, did it?" TK said sadly.  
  
"No, It didn't work." Izzy said in a similar tone. "We scared him pretty bad, I don't think he'll be back for a while. Why don't we stay here, and see if Drowzee1 responds."  
  
Soon enough, early the next day...  
  
"Hey, It's a message from Gennai!" Izzy called, bringing over the others as the wizened attribute-less Digimon appeared on the screen.  
  
"Greetings!" he said, holding up an envelope. "I bring a message from the outside world."  
  
"What, you read all the mail sent to me?" Izzy said, startled.  
  
"Sure, I live on Server, everything comes through there."  
  
"But that's PRIVATE!" Izzy sputtered furiously.  
  
"Oh? By the way, there are a great deal of missives from women here for you."  
  
"Women?"  
  
"Sure! Lola, Babs, Chesty..."  
  
"Gennai, that's spam! Advertisements and come ons!"  
  
"Really?" Gennai looked saddened, and tossed a list away. "And I got so many phone numbers, too..."  
  
"What's the message?!" Matt grated, glowering at the ancient Digimon.  
  
"Hold your horses! It's from Drowzee1, whoever that is..." an e-mail message appeared on the screen.   
  
Greetings, Digi-Destined!  
  
I have left this message vague to avoid meaning to interception.  
It's a pleasure to meet you all, and extend an electronic hand in friendship. I make this offer with utmost sincerity, as I would love to be there and share my knowledge, but I fear I would lack the courage to have enough reliability in this situation. I hope you understand. The way to stop Berserkermon is to make him see the light. I trust you know what to do now, it's the only way you'll be able to achieve your goal.  
Good luck,  
Drowzee1.  
  
"That's it?" Tai asked quietly, then snarled. "SHOW HIM THE LIGHT? THAT'S ALL?"  
  
"That's it." Gennai smiled and disappeared, leaving the message.  
  
Joe laughed so hard he began to cry. "How old is Drowzee1, anyway? Five?"  
  
Sora mouthed the message... "Have enough reliability?" She muttered, "That's awkward."  
  
"About as subtle as a sledgehammer to the head, wouldn't you say?" Joe grinned, wiping his eyes.  
  
"Well, it was meant for us, so it should be." Izzy tried to keep his normal poker face, but started smiling himself. "I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. Of course if we were dead, our crests wouldn't work."  
  
"So all he's saying is use the crests?" Tai said incredulously.   
  
"Yup." Matt answered, rolling his eyes.  
  
"That, and Kari's should be the final crest to activate. The rest of us can go all at once, but Kari needs to make him see the light." Izzy clarified.  
  
"So now we wait?" Agumon queried.  
  
"Looks that way." Palmon shrugged, "And I'd rather stay here in the sun."  
  
They didn't have long to wait. Perhaps an hour later, a harsh spitting and snarling bounced about the clearing.  
  
"Everybody ready to save the Digi-World?" Tai called, confident in an easy victory.  
  
"YEAH!" the others cheered, pulling out their crests.  
Agumon gently tapped Tai's shoulder. "Umm. I don't want to rain on your parade, but you mind if I warp Digivolved to Wargreymon?" He said timidly, pressing his stubby claws together.  
  
"Go ahead, Agumon! But you're right, I don't think we'll need you."  
  
"Agumon WARP Digivolve to... WARGREYMON!"  
  
Now standing as tall as the trees, Wargreymon flexed, brandishing the tri-clawed Dramon Destroyers ominously. "Let Berserkermon come! I'm ready!"  
  
Berserkermon flashed out from the trees, snarling. "LieS!" he thundered. His eyes were so deep of a red as to appear black, but still glowing insanely. "aLL DeaD! You... TRiCKS! DeSTRoY!"  
  
With that, Berserkermon launched himself at Sora, howling a battle cry.  
  
Just as sudden as the attack, Wargreymon sidled in front of Sora using his armor to deflect the attack in a shower of sparks. "Nice try!" Wargreymon delivered a powerful backhand to the champion that was shorter than his arm. "But not on my watch!"  
  
"Now!" Tai shouted, holding his crest to the sky. The sun-like symbol of courage shone brilliantly and lanced out, joined by the light of the six original Digi-Destined's crests.  
  
Snorting contemptuously, Berserkermon slashed at the seven radiant beams, severing the connection. "No! No!" Berserkermon raged, stomping and tearing at the grass. "FiGHT! FiGHT PuPPeTMoN!" he gestured to Wargreymon with a swipe of his claws.  
  
"He brushed them away like cobwebs!" Tentomon wailed, buzzing around behind Izzy. "Now what do we do?"  
  
Garudamon bent over, ready to grab everyone and take off again. "We may have to retreat, Sora."   
  
"No!" Matt exclaimed. "We have to hold the line if we want to live!"  
  
"Maybe he's rested." Tai said. "Wear him down, Wargreymon!"  
  
"You got it, Tai! NOVA FORCE!" Wargreymon roared, spinning faster and faster until he was just a blur of dinosaur and armor.  
  
"Tai!" Izzy yelled. "Benjamon's Digivolutions take energy from their surroundings! Berserkermon can't be worn down, only distracted!"  
  
Wargreymon dove at the howling Berserkermon, who had begun to foam at the mouth, spraying flecks of spittle as he screeched and screamed his defiance to a cloud. Nevertheless, his own claws flicked upwards and caught Wargreymon's attack on the six tines of his fingerless paws. The Nova Force continued as the orange Mega kept rotating, but the force of his dive was stopped cold! The scene was ludicrous; a five-foot champion not even sliding as it halted the forward momentum of a twenty-foot Mega Digimon.  
  
The Digi-Destined couldn't gape, as the rending scream of metal on metal, at least fifty times louder than a stopping train forced them to drop to the ground, clutching their ears in pain.  
  
Berserkermon tightened his grip, laughing madly as he brought Wargreymon to a complete stop before slamming 'PuPPeTMoN' into the ground.  
  
"Wargreymon!" Tai yelled, climbing to his feet.  
  
"I'm okay, just surprised." Wargreymon said as nonchalantly as he could, jumping into the air while he blinked his emerald green eyes and stretched.   
  
Berserkermon cackled a hollow, hooting laugh. "aLL You HaVe? WeaK! WeaK PuPPeTMoN!"  
  
"Shouldn't we do anything?" Patamon asked Gatomon.   
  
"How much can we do?" Gatomon replied, depressed, tail drooping.  
  
"TERRA FORCE!" Wargreymon cried, pulling together his signature energy attack and hurling at Berserkermon.  
  
"FiRe...FiReS oF HaTe!" Berserkermon gibbered, tears running from his eyes and down his chest. Between six foreclaws, the bloody crimson light of the sterilizing fireball ignited, and shot up at Wargreymon.  
  
The red fireball grew, swelling with human hate and anger. Inflating like a balloon, it met the Orange Terra Force sphere as an equal; however, after the two attacks bulged outwards in their attempts to break each other, Wargreymon's attack burst like a bubble, dissipating back into the environment as the pulsing fireball raced on to hit Wargreymon dead center.   
  
The attack erupted around the Mega, sheathing him in the radiant flames of emotion. Fire and shockwave obliterated his armor by melting metal, then blasting it off the spread-eagled Digimon. Breastplate, shin and arm guards, even helmet disintegrated in the superheated, hate-fueled combustion.  
  
"WARGREYMON!" Tai cried, "NO!"  
  
Out of the blossoming field of incineration, Agumon fell to the ground in a smoking heap. Berserkermon was instantly there, pinning the helpless rookie with his knees. Mouth twisted into a terrible smile as red tears dripped off his teeth onto the weakly struggling Agumon, Berserkermon raised one arm to the sky, light glinting off the blades as he prepared to deliver the coup de grace, the finishing blow, the final strike, the...  
  
-Whap!-  
  
Oh, sorry.  
  
Anyway...  
  
"NO!" All the Digi-Destined and Digimon shouted in unison as the scythe-like claws swept down...  
  
Freeze-frame and understand:  
(Camera rotates around the scene, creating a Matrix-esqe 3D effect)  
  
In times of extreme distress, say, the impending death of a friend, emotions can warp reality to the point where previously impossible events can occur.  
  
Well, not really, but in this story it's a good way to justify what happens next.  
  
Mere nanometers from Agumon's fear-dilated eyes, the lethal claws jerked to a halt. Berserkermon stared dumbly at his arm, immobilized by a ray of blue light.  
  
"Agumon, get out of there!" Tai yelled, adding the beam of courage to hold the other thick arm.  
  
As Agumon rolled and dragged himself out from under the befuddled champion, the light of sincerity, love, knowledge, reliability and hope reached out and ensnared Berserkermon, binding the insane Digimon's arms and legs to his stumpy, squat body.  
  
"LeT Go!" he pleaded, "MuST FiGHT, DeSTRoY FoR DeaD!"  
  
"Your turn, Kari." Sora said, her voice detached, almost apathetic.  
  
Kari nodded and walked out to the vainly struggling Berserkermon and held up her crest. White light spilled forth into the dark scarlet eyes, filling them with illumination.  
  
Berserkermon's screams seared the air as the stunned Digimon looked on. His cries of agony grew increasingly shrill as Kari's light drove out the red madness, in much the same way a priest would exorcise a demon by ritual prayer.  
  
Bands of lightning-like red energy arced across his body as the light filled his eyes, forcing the red into lighter and lighter shades; white lightning swirled about his wolfish muzzle, crackling over metal teeth and spreading down over his head, jumping between the silver spikes on his back as it continued to push out the red...  
  
Fractures appeared in the pink of his eyes, the light of Kari's crest blazing out from the cracks. Then, as the purity filled Berserkermon completely, it shattered the last remnants of insanity, bursting out of his eyes and mouth with the same intensity as the white being forced inside.  
  
With a final jerk and arch of his back to point his glowing eyes and gaping maw to the sky, Berserkermon ruptured, flying apart into black data bits, and was no more.  
  
But still, the shimmering core was bound by the power of the crests... "Enough, enough!" it croaked hoarsely, weeping.  
  
Kari looked to Tai, who nodded. "All right, but you promise not to hurt us first." She said, still holding her crest.  
  
"I swear!" it rasped. "I swear by my honor, by my coding! By the Digi-world, STOP! I implore you!"  
  
"That's good enough for me." Kari let her crest fall and dangle from the cord around her neck as she stopped the ray.  
  
As the binding light of the crests fell away, the glowing shape dropped heavily to the ground and lay there, too bright to look at.  
  
"Benjamon?" Izzy hazarded a guess. "Is that you?"  
  
"No." the answer came back. "It's Queen Victoria the second, and we are not amused."  
  
"What?" Palmon blinked, looking at Mimi. "Who's Queen Victoria?"  
  
"Of course it's Benjamon!" the voice snapped. "Who else could it be?"  
  
Slowly, the luminescence faded away.  
  
"I'm not going to say 'What happened?' or 'Where am I?' because I fragging well knew what was happening, I was in there, too fighting the madness with will power." Benjamon groaned, trying unsuccessfully to sit up. "I guess I was the white, trying to keep Berserkermon from killing you all. But it was hard... So very hard."  
  
The Digi-Destined relaxed somewhat, Garudamon and Metalgarurumon returning to rookie form as Tai, Kari, and Joe worked on Agumon's wounds.  
"Berserkermon's gone now, right?" TK asked softly.  
  
"Gone for good." Benjamon replied wearily. "You deleted him, and I can't feel that Digivolution option at all... Like something was ripped out of me." He closed his golden eyes in exhaustion. "I suppose you all hate me now." He sighed. "If you want to leave... I won't...can't stop you. I can't go on until I recover my strength; I need to sleep. I'll understand if I wake up alone..."  
  
"We won't abandon anyone." Sora said, kneeling and running a gloved hand through his short brown hair. "Especially not a friend."  
  
"A friend?" Benjamon smiled wanly as he whispered. "Thank you, Sora."  
  
Matt dashed a tear from his eye and walked off into the forest, Gabumon trailing behind.  
  
  
This was written during vacation, I just can't help it.  
Hope you enjoyed it, I've had this thing planned for MONTHS. From here on out, it's touch and go, so my fanfics will come more slowly.   
  
Write to you later,   
Drowzee1  



	10. Monkey Business

Monkey Business  
Scene: The Digi-Destined have broken into three groups and gone their separate ways. Having decided that Mimi and Joe have the least protection (Megas being a part of the other groups) Benjamon has tagged along with them. After Metaletemon's meteor impacted the Digi-world, things were all shook up and prompted the two humans and three Rookie Digimon to investigate.  
  
  
"Look, I don't want to talk about it, Gomamon!" Benjamon angrily declared, eyes flashing. "I'm just going to say that being Berserkermon is not something I ever want to experience again!"  
  
"Why not?" the seal asked, looking up as he walked alongside the sullen rookie who had tried to destroy the Digi-world after mistakenly thinking the Digi-Destined destroyed by Puppetmon.  
  
"Because... No, nice try, but you're not going to get me to say anything about it."  
  
"You had power; you totaled Wargreymon."  
  
"No control. Anyway, it wasn't me fighting." Benjamon snorted. "Invincibility tends to give one an unfair edge."  
  
They walked into a small clearing in the woods. An unusual pile of brush, broken tree limbs and dirt covered something green and still. The shape of the pile seemed to show hints of white, a most unusual color in the midst of all the emerald and russet tones of the forest.  
  
"There's someone under there!" Mimi exclaimed, quickly recognizing the general shape.   
  
Benjamon blinked and raced Palmon to the heap to begin clearing away the fallen wood.   
  
"Poison Ivy!" Palmon's tendrils extended, yanking a large branch away, revealing a face that would send orthodontists into throes of ecstatic joy. "It's Ogremon!" she gasped, dropping the branch.  
  
"So?" Benjamon asked, still clearing away the pile. "What's wrong with that?"  
  
"Nothing..." Joe said, holding Mimi's arm. "Except HE TRIED TO KILL US!"  
  
"Oh." Benjamon paused, then shrugged and continued. "Well, he needs help, and I'm sure we can deal with him."  
  
Mimi looked Joe in the face and nodded firmly, her mouth set in a line. "Yes, Joe. Ogremon's hurt and needs help, no matter what he did in the past."  
  
Joe shook his head, giving up. "Fine." He sighed. "But if he kills us, I'll never forgive you."  
  
Benjamon winked at Mimi and chuckled warmly as he pushed away the last of the branches.  
  
"Urrrrr..." Ogremon groaned as he tried to rise. A stain of blood ran over his face and into the green Champion's mouth. Ogremon fell back to the ground, and Mimi shrugged free of Joe's grip to run to his side just as Ogremon raised his head again. His blue eyes met the brown of Mimi's, and widened suddenly. "Hey... You're one of the Digi-Destined!" he rumbled, attempting to rise again.   
  
"At least you don't have amnesia." Mimi commented. "Don't try to move, Ogremon."  
  
"Joe, could you...?" Benjamon began.  
  
"Yeah, I know. My dad's a doctor and..." Joe replied.  
  
"I wasn't finished, but you've got part of it right. I wanted to know if you found any of the medical supplies that I brought from the Analog world in my now useless backpack. I should have had some antibiotics, hydrogen peroxide, sterile gauze, ace bandages..." Benjamon rattled off a list of supplies, and Joe sheepishly pulled out most of the mentioned items.   
  
"How'd you know I'd pick them up?" Joe asked, taking out a triangle bandage. "I might have just left them there, along with the roses, but Mimi insisted on those..."  
  
"Because you're trustworthy and reliable." Benjamon grinned. "Well, Ogremon, Let's see about that gash on your forehead." Picking up the hydrogen peroxide and a pad of gauze, Benjamon poured the liquid onto the white cloth. "This might sting, so don't get upset." He said, patting Ogremon's right arm tenderly before wiping the gauze over the cut. "Mimi," He said, "How's his arm? I've got basic first aid knowledge, but I must admit I'm rusty on broken bones." The clear liquid turned white wherever it touched blood, fizzing to clean the wound.   
  
"I think it is broken." Mimi said. "And I don't know anything about setting bones either."  
  
Joe smiled. "At least one person here knows what to do. Your supplies are sized to humans, Benjamon. Good thing I brought something to improvise with..." Out of his duffel bag, Joe pulled a white roll of paper.   
  
Benjamon chuckled. "You're in good hands, Ogremon. Joe, it's up to you." He gave the vicious Champion virus Digimon another gentle pat on the shoulder, and walked off to scout for trouble.   
  
"What's with that guy?" Ogremon growled. "In fact, why are any of you helping me at all?"   
  
"We were always told to help people in trouble, even if they were trying to kill us before." Mimi ad-libbed, her sincerity nearly blinding.   
  
"Benjamon!" Gomamon said as Benjamon strode past. "Your glasses are glowing!"  
  
"What?" Benjamon blinked. "What do you mean?" He pulled off his eyewear, and held them in the palm of his hand.   
  
"I guess your crest activated..." Palmon piped up. "How do you feel?"  
  
"About the same...No, wait..." he suddenly shivered. "Something doesn't feel right. I can't explain it, but when I put them back on... I feel cold...There's something evil coming this way."   
  
"You sure?" Gomamon asked, "Maybe it was something you ate."  
  
"Quiet!"   
  
"Hey, I thought I killed you!" Puppetmon appeared suddenly on a branch overhead, glaring down at the group with beady red eyes.   
  
Benjamon hissed angrily. "It'ssss a sssshame I couldn't delete you assss Berssserkermon." He shook his head violently. "And I don't go down so easily..." he said, his voice back to the usual tone and precisely clipped accentless one that he frequently used.  
  
"Puppetmon!" the others yelled in surprise.   
  
"I destroyed you once, I'll do it again!" Puppetmon shouted, his nasal, whining voice grating at the ears. "And I'll take the rest of your friends out with you, so you won't be lonely!" Shifting his grip on his mallet, the Dark Master fired his multi-shot attack at the group.  
  
"Like Hades you will! CHAIN BLASTER!" Pointing his hands to Puppetmon, Benjamon blasted away with his own multiple attack, intercepting the yellow energy with his starlight orbs and detonating them before they reached their target.  
  
"OW! My eyes!" Ogremon shaded his blue eyes with his club as the clearing exploded with intense flashes of light that threw everything into shadows and brilliant white light, all color obliterated in the blinding effects of the cancellation.  
  
"You're no good, Puppetmon." Benjamon growled, still staring directly at the Dark Master after the glaring brightness vanished. "I'm going to give you such a thrashing, you'll wish I'd just tossed you in a wood chipper!"  
  
"Izzat so?" Puppetmon sneered.   
  
"Yeah, bark-for-brains!" Gomamon interjected, running up to Benjamon's side. Running, of course, is not the correct term for the rapid motion of a quadruped seal, but it'll have to do.   
  
"Gomamon Digivolve to... IKAKKUMON!"   
  
"HARPOON TORPEDO!" The great white walrus launched his conical horn at Puppetmon, the ebony case falling away as a red and green missile rushed on.   
  
Puppetmon jumped off the branch and floated above the blast that left only a smoldering broken trunk below his rectangular wood feet. Cackling madly, the pint-size Mega drifted back down and stuck out his tongue.   
  
"Ikkakumon Digivolve to... ZUDOMON!"  
  
"Zudomon, don't take him on!" Benjamon shouted at the ultimate Digimon so oft described as a turtle/dog/walrus mix. Too late. Zudomon and Puppetmon were already charging with hammers raised, intent on pulverizing each other.   
  
"PUPPET PUMMEL!"  
"VULCAN'S HAMMER!"  
  
"MORONSSS!" Benjamon yelled as he rolled out of the way.   
  
As the rookie predicted, Zudomon wasn't in the same league of swingers as Puppetmon. A burst of light as the mallets explosively smashed together sent Zudomon's massive claw hammer spinning away as he, looking even grayer than usual, collapsed heavily and returned to Gomamon as Puppetmon's fire burst burned at the hapless Ultimate. "Poor little fool." Benjamon murmured, pulling the stunned rookie in white fur back to the others. "Joe, why'd you let him do that?"  
  
"I didn't! Gomamon's doing what he thinks best." Joe knelt by his friend, holding Gomamon's flipper gently, and stroking his fur.   
  
"That it? Is playtime over already?" Puppetmon whined, drawing up his hammer for a final attack on the group.  
  
"OOooooAAAaaooooh!" A Tarzan-esqe yell echoed through the forest, reverberating off of trees to mingle harmoniously in the clearing. Coinciding with these calls of the wild, the seeming source of sound, a shady shape, a silhouette, slid sonorously and swiftly swinging side-to-side above shrubbery on the forest floor.   
  
"What now?" Puppetmon shouted, irritated at the interruption.  
With a final yell, the shade swung onto an overhanging branch to reveal itself. A large humanoid, make that a Monkeyoid, with a long, whip-like tail, golden teeth, a large disco style gold amulet and chain around his neck, a pair of stylish sunglasses, an elvician* curl in his hair, and two red ideograms proclaiming 'Metaletemon is the strongest!' on large pectorals that just begged to be oiled. With 10W 30, or, if he were on a budget, WD-40. The monkey was entirely metal, with Phillips head screws on his knuckles and left shoulder, even one as an earring, glistening as he posed dramatically and flexed. "Get Digi with it! Metaletemon's in da house!" he proclaimed.  
  
Benjamon blinked and whispered to Ogremon... "Did he say what I think he just said?" he snorted. "Whatever this guy can do, he sure can't be very original..."  
  
"Don't think he looks all that tough." Ogremon rumbled back as Metaletemon continued to speak, clapping his hands. Benjamon wasn't paying attention. "Come on, the guy has a teddy bear on his waist!" Ogremon continued, "Bet you he got it from his Mommy!"  
  
"Didn't know we Digimon HAD mothers." Benjamon grinned.  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
"...Thank you, thank you very much!" Metaletemon drawled, and again Benjamon had to control his incredulity.   
  
"Ksssshk! Copy that, Houston, we've got an Elvis impersonator on radar. Ksssshk!" Benjamon muttered into his hand.  
  
"What was that, Benjamon?" Gomamon said, getting to his feet... er. Flippers.   
  
"Nothing."  
  
"I could've sworn I heard you making a joke."  
  
"And you couldn't bear to miss it?"  
  
"Pardon me for having a good sense of humor." Gomamon said huffily, frowning a little.  
  
"There's many ways to describe your sense of humor, but I'm not sure 'good' is one of them."  
  
"You're mean sometimes."  
  
"Thanks, I'm trying to be average. And I knew you couldn't resist hearing a joke of any kind. Feeling better?"  
  
"Yeah... HEY!"  
  
The clearing was dead silent, and when Gomamon and Benjamon looked up, Puppetmon was tapping his foot impatiently, Mimi, Joe and Palmon were staring at them, Ogremon was cleaning his teeth and tusks with his fingers, and Metaletemon had folded his arms across his chest. "If y'all are finished, this rock superstar is gonna tell yah a story!"  
  
Benjamon nodded, and promptly ignored him. Instead he focused on something that was flashing in the upper right corner of his... glasses? He looked at it, and the flashing box came down into a HUD overlay. A set of targeting crosshairs roved around his field of vision until they came to rest on the monkey who was happily telling the boring story of how he became a Mega. Data began to appear in front of Benjamon's eyes.  
  
Digimon Analyzer Version 3.0  
Metaletemon  
Level: Mega  
Type: Virus  
Classification: Android Digimon  
Attacks:   
Metal Punch: Threat Level Low. Simple straight punch.  
Banana Slip: TL Variable. Can be used as explosive projectile, or remove friction.  
DANGER! Possible third attack, electrical energy, TL HIGH!   
Description:  
Made of approximately one and a half-centimeter thick Chrome Digizoid metal.   
//  
Cross-reference Chrome Digizoid: Hardest metal known to Digital Structural science as of last update. Known Chrome Digizoid Items: Metaletemon, Zudomon's hammer, Psisauromon's facemask, metalform crests of Honor, Justice, and Compassion.  
//  
Arrogant, vain, convinced of being the best singer in the Digital and Analog worlds. Agile, but delusions of invincibility make him stay to take blows he could easily avoid. Strong; however, prefers to flex and threaten for a while before actually fighting. Possibility of self-esteem issues, analysis shows that behavior is really a front for something much darker and brooding. Effective taunting may lie in not responding, else, a great deal of insults and slights focusing on singing and fighting ability will be required.  
  
"Weird." Benjamon murmured then did a double take as he watched Puppetmon run up along side the Digi-Destined group and yell at Metaletemon.  
  
"That's enough!" he whined angrily.  
  
"Ah just got started there, you oversized footstool!" Metaletemon declared, hopping down to the face the Dark Master.  
  
"Who are you calling 'oversized'?" Puppetmon shot back.  
  
Benjamon smiled widely.   
  
"Watch yo' step! BANANA SLIP!" Metaletemon threw a banana peel under Puppetmon's feet, and the pint-size wood Mega went down with a yelp.  
  
"PUPPET PUMMEL!" Still sitting on the grass, Puppetmon's mallet whacked Metaletemon on the shin, making the monkey ring like a bell.   
  
"Beeeeeautiful! A stellar performance!" Benjamon crowed quietly, grabbing Mimi's arm. "Come on, let's get out of here while those two are discussing their differences." He whispered to the others.  
  
"Exactly what I was thinking!" Joe agreed, taking Mimi from Benjamon and rushing off, Palmon and Gomamon close behind.  
  
"Come on, Ogremon!" Benjamon reached up and tapped his latest comrade-in-arms on the shoulder. "We're not up to facing both of those guys... Let 'em wreck each other for us."  
  
Ogremon snorted, then followed, his club held high. "Hey, I know a good place to rest and hide from those two." he growled, pointing off into the forest with the bone cudgel.   
  
"Let's go, then!" Palmon cried, roots pounding the ground as she ran to keep up with Mimi. Benjamon lagged behind, and happily watched the two Mega Digimon beat on each other a few moments longer.  
  
Directing the two Digi-Destined to a large cavity under a tree, Ogremon leaned his club against the wall and sat down. He beckoned for his benefactors to do the same. Once all four were seated, he leaned back and got comfortable, ebony horns scratching gouges in the tree.   
  
"Does it hurt?" Mimi began...  
  
Outside, Benjamon had gotten lost... His heightened Reptoid sense of smell gave only general clues to the direction that the Digi-Destined had taken, and even those were fading quickly as a sudden summer breeze played through the forest. "Of all the STUPID things I could do," he grumbled to himself, "I decide to abandon Joe and Mimi!" he spat at an unoffending vine. "How am I going to find them without being so obvious as to risk revealing them?"  
  
In silent answer, the crest of Compassion flickered in the upper right corner of his field of view. The HUD popped up, reading "Infrared detection activated" as a scarlet tinge cast over the entire scene, plants dark, his own body verging on white. In the IR spectrum, a few leaves and bushes were brighter than the surroundings, and... There! Faint patches of lighter red, regularly spaced and displaying four different foot sizes, as well as dimmer shades where Palmon had stepped on the other prints.   
  
"Take a look around, I am the wanderer no more!" he declared, swiftly tracing their path to the cavernous space under an elephantine vine-covered tree.   
  
"Well, if the fight's over, you wouldn't have a rival anymore." Mimi was saying to Ogremon as Benjamon drew near. The red field in his eyes vanished, and the crest was inert once more.  
  
"Of course I would!" came Ogremon's gravelly response. "He and I are like two old warriors, fighting a war that has no beginning and no end. Why, the only reason I exist at all is to defeat Leomon. If he were gone..." Ogremon's voice faltered. "I'm so confused."  
  
Benjamon crept closer, not wanting to interrupt the precious moment. Ogremon was living in what he considered paradise, where a worthy foe always existed to test one's mettle. A life of combat, where the rest of existence is a sideshow to the battle.  
  
"You've got to have more of a purpose in life than just to defeat Leomon." Mimi said in her gentle, flowing way.  
  
"Silly girl..." Benjamon grunted. "The purpose of life is different for everyone. For the warriors, defeating a rival can be the singular driving interest of existence. I only wish my life were so simple." He sighed. "But I'm here to protect, to sacrifice my existence for something I had no part in deciding. My purpose might even conflict with the completion of the prophecy of the Digi-Destined. I cannot abandon them, yet my mere association with them could doom them all. I walk a line that is an atom's width, yet is the barrier between the light and dark... Which way do I fall in serving them?" This entire monologue ran through his mind instantly, and he nearly missed the sudden warning on his glasses in his melancholy introspective. Something was swinging through the trees. A grim smile boiled up out of the sudden depression, and Benjamon used the targeting abilities of the crest of Compassion to carefully aim. "Chain Blaster!" he whispered, shooting not at Metaletemon, but at the vine he clung to. The shot whizzed off and severed the vine; it was with great pleasure that his golden eyes beheld the monkey tumble through the air and crash into a tree. "Gotcha."  
  
"Leave me alone!" Ogremon snapped. "You can't possibly understand, this rivalry is as old as time itself. I don't care what happens, I'll think about it after I defeat Leomon!"  
  
Joe said something about blood pressure as Benjamon stuck his head in. "Pardon me for breaking in like this, but I'd recommend getting out of here."  
  
"Where were you?" Palmon asked in surprise, first to respond.  
  
"Why?" Gomamon then inquired.   
  
"Outside, and Metaletemon's found us. I can delay him, but find someplace else to hide. Lay down under leaves if you have to, but just get moving."  
  
Joe looked at the big rookie quizzically "You can delay that Mega?" he asked with doubt oozing from his pores.  
  
"Delay isn't the same as defeat, and I'm well suited to guerrilla gorilla warfare." Was the punned reply.  
  
"Benjamon, that's awful!" Mimi groaned.  
  
"I know, that's why I enjoyed it so much. Just get going, please, for your own safety. I'll give that dumb ape a run around of the jungle."   
  
Ogremon rose and grasped his bludgeon firmly. "If a little pipsqueak like you can slow that ape, then I'll..." he rumbled.  
  
"Why is everyone still here? And how are you going to fight Leomon if a metallic figurine defeats you?"  
  
"Ah found you!" said a voice from above.  
  
"Fantastic, the options have just narrowed dramatically. I'll go out alone, okay, Ogremon?" Benjamon said pointedly, glaring at the champion. "This isn't your fight. Now, I'll try to lead him off. Soon as it gets quiet, make a break for it. Nice and simple, unless the big dork knows you're in here." He stepped out of the cavity. "So you did, you tone-deaf pea-brained tin can!" he shouted. "I thought you wouldn't be able to find, fight, or sing your way out of an open paper bag! If you want a fan other than the one you use to cool off after lifting a marshmallow, you gotta convince me that you can carry a tune without using a bucket!" Piling on the abuse, he leapt up the side of the tree, punching his claws and spikes into the wood to hold position while he climbed.  
  
"I'm starting to see why Matt can't stand him." Mimi growled, surprising Palmon, Gomamon, and most of all, Joe.  
  
"He is a little... abrasive..." Joe murmured in her ear, her long hair cascading over one lens of his glasses as she shook her head.  
  
"Like 10 grit sandpaper!" Gomamon butted in with his usual cheek.  
  
"Why, Ah oughta pound ya to the same consistency as the polish Ah use on my blue suede shoes!" Metaletemon cried angrily.  
  
"Ah, Ah, Ah'm so sceeered, Ah'm a' shakin' in muh bouts!" Benjamon mocked mercilessly. "Whatever shall Ah dew? Theys a beg talkin' ape a-threatenin' me!"  
  
"Just for that, Ah'll make sure the beat goes on until you're gone!"  
  
"Gotta catch me first, and even a preschool education like yours should understand you can't hurt what you can't hit! Come on, Bubbles!"   
  
"METAL PUNCH!" Metaletemon roared, leaping to Benjamon's branch and lunging.  
  
"Too slow, Chimpy!" Benjamon taunted, dropping off the branch and swinging round to push Metaletemon off.  
  
The Chrome Digizoid Mega was unhurt by the fall, getting back up instantly and vaulting into the trees. "Ah'm here to destroy the Digi-Destined, but a miserable hound dog like you deserves my valuable attentions first!"   
  
"Over here, weakling!" was the last thing the Digi-Destined heard as Benjamon jumped away with Metaletemon in close pursuit.  
  
"There they go." Joe whispered. "Let's get out of here."  
  
"If you think about it, we really don't need to, now." Palmon was saying when a low growl interrupted them.  
  
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest...  
  
"BANANA SLIP!"  
  
Benjamon vanished into the brush as the peel flew by and exploded and felled an old-growth red cedar instantly.   
  
"You can't hide from the King of Swing!" the silvery monkey yelled as he took to vine.   
  
"Well, It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!" Benjamon shouted back. "CHAIN BLASTER!" again the vine was cut when the starlight orb burst on the vegetative strand.   
  
Metaletemon rolled, repelled off a tree, and rocketed at Benjamon. "So you're the one who made me get stuck in a knot hole!" he shouted. "METAL PUNCH!"   
Benjamon rolled out from under the jab and disappeared as he kept moving to keep from being pulped. "Who died and made you king, anyway?" he sneered as he moved behind another large tree.  
  
"Benjamon Digivolve to... PSISAUROMON!))  
  
"Where'd you go? Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Metaletemon called into the silent forest.   
  
Psisauromon dug, his hands big as shovels, quickly creating a large divot as he kept his fires as low and dim as possible. It wouldn't work for long, even the shaded Metaletemon would be able to see the difference in lighting.  
  
((PSI SHIELD!)) The black right eye turned white as the divot filled with psychic energy. Psisauromon kicked the dirt and turf back over the glowing barrier and stepped back just as the Virus Mega moved out of the brush.   
  
"Who're you?" Metaletemon demanded, walking closer. "Didja see a runt about this tall with glasses?" he asked, putting his hand about chest high. He stepped on the divot, and then into the center...  
  
Psisauromon slowly nodded the solar fire about his head shining off the Chrome Digizoid plate that covered three fourths of his face and head. He pointed down with one thick finger.  
  
"Wha..." Metaletemon began as Psisauromon's empty eye filled the area with white light and the Psi Shield rose into the air swiftly, accelerating until Metaletemon was pinned under forces over twenty times gravity. Spinning up above the treetops, the angle of ascension changed, the white barrier vanished, and Metaletemon was hurled to the far edge of the forest.  
  
((PSI SHIELD!))  
Psisauromon created his psychic barrier and hopped on, guiding the platform by thought as he sailed through the jungle, the ever-present solar inferno covering his outermost appendages trailing back in the direction he came from.  
  
Grabbing the edge of the board in his scaly green fist, Psisauromon knelt on wall of mind power in much the same way a surfer would shoot the curl of a collapsing wave. Commanding the board to veer upward until flying perpendicular to the forest floor, however, was something no conventional surf and turf wave rider could ever do.  
  
Of course, surfing the air was a human impossibility to begin with; but, the move was impressive as the large humanoid reptile corkscrewed upward around the branches, bursting through the dense canopy into a pristine azure sky.  
  
He looked out over the land and saw the interface between forest and ruined city. Black water ran in a small meandering river through both areas, snaking off out over the horizon. By sight alone, searching out the Digi-Destined was a daunting task, but Psisauromon had an advantage; his mind could vaguely feel Joe and Mimi's thoughts from the west, in the ruins. Knifing the shield in a tight curve and sharp dive, he felt the mental presence of the two Digi-Destined becoming more distinct as he sailed toward a squat circular building near the forest edge. Psisauromon spiraled down slowly, and when he was about halfway to the ground, a shiny dot appeared, also heading for the building.  
  
((Metaletemon again? I thought I tossed him far enough to keep him away for several hours! That monkey's faster than I thought...))  
  
Clutching the barrier's edge, the green champion dropped like a stone, making small adjustments to direction as he bore down upon the expanding gleam.  
  
CRACK! The stones under Metaletemon's feet shattered explosively as the kinetic energy of Psisauromon's dive transferred through the Chrome Digizoid body and blasted out a crater around the Mega monkey's feet.  
  
Psisauromon had jumped off just before the collision, now standing between the marauding metallic monkey and the building where the Digi-Destined hid. Adopting the tiger stance as he faced his powerful opponent, Psisauromon burned silently, one ham-sized fist cocked at chest height, the other arched over his head to line up with the first.  
  
Metaletemon smiled with his pearly-gold teeth glinting just as much as his body. "Sorry, but that don't impress me much." He gloated, slowly lashing his tail.  
  
Psisauromon shrugged, waiting.  
  
Puzzled by the lack of response, the Mega hesitated. "Aren't you going to cry 'help'?"  
  
Again, the mute Psisauromon was silent.  
  
"Well, Lizzy, You're in my way to that ol' greasy spoon, and a superstar like me don't take kindly to road blocks. Uh huh! METAL PUNCH!" Metaletemon swung at Psisauromon, overextending as the champion slid to the left and delivered a chop to the throat, a swift kick to the monkey's thigh, and finishing by grabbing Metaletemon's waist and hauling him head first into the pavement in a suplex.  
  
The gleaming ape stood up, unscratched. "Nice work, if you can get it." He said, smiling and flexing. "But as you can see, this metal marvel can't be hurt!"  
  
A flame-sheathed hand grabbed the Mega's flexed arm, pulling while a foot sweep knocked the feet out from under the monkey, sending him to the cobbles with a clatter.  
  
Metaletemon rose again, dusting himself off dramatically. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!"  
  
((You talk too much.))  
  
"Ah can't let the world be deprived of such a beautiful voice!"  
  
((You're so vain. CORONA FLARE!))  
  
The solar fires of Psisauromon burned higher and more hotly as they spiraled out to focus in a ray of inferno heat and intensity that engulfed Metaletemon in its fury. After letting the monkey bake for half a minute, Psisauromon let the fiery attack burn out and settle down to the normal flames that covered his head, hands, and feet.  
  
Within the residual blaze, an irritatingly smug laugh rang out. "You're hot, but I'm already on fire, baby!" Metaletemon's shadow darkened in the fire as he walked out, still smiling and swinging his thin tail. "Maybe once I destroy the Digi-Destined, you'll join me on my comeback tour!" he sneered, "As a part of the freak show!"  
  
((You give yourself far more credit than you're due! CORONA FLARE!))  
Psisauromon wrapped himself in an aura of incandescent solar fire and charged, every running step melting the stones of the ruined city underfoot.  
  
"Neither you nor the critics can burn a star!" Metaletemon grinned, "Especially when you're footloose! BANANA SLIP!"  
  
"Say, what's that light outside?" Ogremon asked, flicking open the blinds with two green fingers. "Too early for sunset..."  
  
"Sunlight?" Palmon asked curiously.  
  
"Yeah, really bright." Ogremon rumbled, shading his eyes with the bone club he carries.   
  
"Psisauromon, then." Gomamon shrugged, raising his flippers 'palm' up. "He's on our side, too."  
  
"Really?" Ogremon said, "Never heard of him."  
  
Metaletemon threw a banana peel under Psisauromon's feet, causing an instance loss of control. The champion's mass was not averted from the direction of the charge, keeping him sliding helplessly at Metaletemon.  
  
"You're lucky!" the Mega grinned. "You're gonna help me bring down the house! METAL PUNCH!"  
  
Unable to dodge, Psisauromon slid directly into the swing of Metaletemon's fist and caught the full force of the blow on his solar plexus.  
  
Leomon's ear twitched as he heard something approaching the doors. "Hmm? It's Metaletemon!"  
  
Psisauromon crashed through the doors, ripping them off the hinges and continuing over the heads of Gekomon, Palmon, and Gomamon.  
  
((Company's here!))  
  
Psisauromon sailed over the counter and slammed into the far wall. Green ichor oozed slowly from the nostril holes of his mask, a dark blemish on the otherwise gleaming metal headgear. Muted fires, barely lifting off his scales, burned slowly through the wooden doors.  
  
"Amateur." Ogremon growled, surprisingly supported in this opinion by a nod from Leomon.   
  
((Hey, I heard that!)) Psisauromon protested. ((I'm a far better fighter than that tin monkey, but he's a Mega! I think I did very well.)) His triangular eyes narrowed as he darkly added... ((Soon as that arm heals I'll show you just how good I am.))  
  
"You? Hah!" Ogremon casually shattered four chairs and a table with a single swing of his club. "My Pummel Whack'll level you, scaly!"  
  
((You think so, ugly?)) Psisauromon struggled to raise his head, and blew apart the bar with telekinesis as his empty eye flared white. ((I won't even use any attribute attacks to send you packing!))  
  
"Metal head!"  
  
((Fang face!))  
  
"ENOUGH!" Leomon roared, staring down the two green champions as he placed his hand on his sword hilt. "There are enough problems without you two starting a new rivalry."  
  
Metaletemon jumped in through the empty doorframe, flexing so he appeared to entirely fill the doorway. "That snake in the glass tried to pull the wool over my eyes, so Ah made it that the only thing he'll knit for a while is bones! Now let me lay it on the line, 'cause I'm so fine.  
  
Leomon stepped forward, completely obscuring Psisauromon's sight. "Face me, then we shall see who is fine!" he growled. The room filled with light...  
  
"Leomon Digivolve to... SABERLEOMON!"  
  
The wire mesh over Psisauromon's left eye flashed into the analyzer screen.  
  
Digimon Analyzer 3.0  
Saberleomon  
Level: Mega  
Type: Data  
Classification: Ancient Beast Digimon  
Attacks:  
Twin Fang: TL Medium. Mane fires needles: fast, difficult to avoid.  
Howling Crusher: TL HIGH! Hybrid Energy/physical attack; uses steel paws to crush, quick and vicious.   
Description:  
This large cat possesses superior speed and agility. Attack strength is high, but current level of experience prevents full potential from being used. Digivolution unstable, amount of time Saberleomon is able to remain in Mega form varies. Very loyal, a noble and just warrior.  
  
Saberleomon leapt through the wall of the old diner, his bristling mane swaying as he landed, waiting to spread Metaletemon's data over light years, into to the intergalactic void. Metaletemon came out through the door, flexing again and boasting about his power.   
  
Inside, Psisauromon shakily rose to his feet. ((Ooh. Tender. Guess you broke a few ribs, you music mangler. Such an injury, however, will not stop me from fighting you.))  
  
"Yes it will!" Mimi declared, rushing to Psisauromon's side. "You've done your part, now let someone fresh fight."  
  
((But Mimi...))  
  
"No buts!" Mimi said sternly, fearlessly grasping his burning hand and pulling the twelve-foot lizard to the side. "You're staying right here!"  
  
Psisauromon sighed, a gust of air hissing from his nostrils. ((Yes, Mimi.)) He thought meekly.  
  
Gomamon and Ogremon burst out laughing as Mimi bossed a champion more than three times bigger than herself to sit by the stairs of the dilapidated restaurant.  
  
Glaring at the two, Psisauromon thought ((If you say ANYTHING, I'll Psi Shield you into next week!))  
  
"Psisauromon, that's not nice!" Palmon said, shaking her head.  
  
"Run, children!" Saberleomon growled, "Run before it's too late!"  
  
"No, stay, and spare me the trouble of huntin' y'all down!" Metaletemon sneered, admiring his biceps.   
  
"HOWLING CRUSHER!" Saberleomon pounced on Metaletemon, his paws shimmering like segmented rainbows.  
  
"BANANA SLIP!" Metaletemon countered, throwing a peel into the glowing forefoot.  
  
The Digital world seemed to come to a stop as the attacks met, a sort of a universal breath being held before a rapidly expanding white sphere of energy that blasted outward, whirling dust and smoke. The force tossed Saberleomon back to the stairs of the restaurant, and blew Metaletemon backwards, the metal monkey tucking and rolling, landing on his feet triumphantly. "The new style you can't beat me!" he taunted, laughing.  
  
"I'm not gonna sit here and watch this!" Gomamon exclaimed. "Hey guys, wait for me!"  
  
"Gomamon Digivolve to... IKAKKUMON!"  
  
The huge shaggy walrus with red toenails took up a position flanking the Digi-Destined on the stairs.  
  
Palmon put her tendrils on Mimi's shoulder. "Mimi, please let me fight with them!" she pleaded, looking with her fluid green eyes at her Digi-Destined. Mimi looked down at the Digivice she held in her brown glove, eyes full of fear for her friend Palmon. "Well? They need me! What should I do?"  
  
"HARPOON TORPEDO!" Ikakkumon bellowed.  
  
"Wait!" Joe exclaimed, running up to Ikkakumon.  
  
"What do you mean, wait?" Ikkakumon said, confused. "We've gotta help him out!"  
  
"But don't you think we should leave, like he told us to?"  
  
"But, Joe!" the champion protested. Psisauromon decided to tune out the rest of that conversation, as he wouldn't run. Not this time, when he had a choice. He could protect Mimi and Joe here, or run away and protect them from Metaletemon later on, if Saberleomon fell.   
  
"TWIN FANG!" Saberleomon roared as he send multitudes of needles flying from his orange mane towards the arrogant Virus, who grinned inanely when the attack bounced harmlessly off him.  
  
'Saberleomon can't stop Metaletemon unless he can use Howling Crusher.' Psisauromon thought to himself, getting to his feet and wincing as broken ribs shot pain into his brain.   
  
Metaletemon laughed each little noise grating on Psisauromon's ear canals. "Is that your best shot?" he guffawed as he cracked his knuckles. "METAL PUNCH!" Running up, the monkey hopped and spun, slamming Saberleomon to the pavement with his butt, flattening the noble cat.  
  
((Come on, I could've dodged that! Focus, mon, focus!))   
  
"SHUT UP!" Ogremon snarled, turning to the gloating ape. "If you want a REAL challenge, it's right here!"  
  
"Ogremon, don't be a fool!" Saberleomon said as he got back to his paws. "You're no match for him!"  
  
"Hey, don't you tell me what to do! I can take on this tin can if I want to!"  
  
A sudden pink streak and Mimi was at Ogremon's side, taking his hand. "You're in no shape to fight!" she said firmly. "Now stop this and stop trying to be a hero!"  
  
((She's very gentle and caring, but not very realistic... Joe, maybe you could help her with that...)) Psisauromon widened his stance as he thought this directly to Joe and got ready to launch himself into round two.  
  
"What?" came the brilliant response.  
  
"Hey, everyone's welcome! When ya get together, it's easier to get y'all! In fact, little darlin', today Ah'm offering a group discount!" Metaletemon raised his finger in the air. "It saves me time to destroy alla you at once!"  
  
The wire mesh on Psisauromon's faceplate went nuts as it spewed warnings about energy buildup directly into his optic nerve. ((LOOK OUT!))  
  
Still grinning inanely, Metaletemon summoned a bolt of black electricity from the cloudless sky. From this point, events accelerated dramatically. Mimi looked up, saw the attack bearing down on her, and screamed in terror, stumbling backward.  
  
"MIMI! NO!" Saberleomon jumped over the frightened girl to cover her from the attack in the fashion of a true hero.  
  
Psisauromon, however, has different talents at his disposal. ((I got you, babe!))  
((PSI SHIELD!))  
The psychic barrier flashed into existence and roughly swept Mimi out from under the black bolt, but the big cat Digimon still caught the full blast in his sacrificial attempt to save the compassionate Digi-Destined. Saberleomon screamed as the ebony energy took its fatal toll on his program, a scream of pure agony that opened his mind to any telepath with the torment he felt. ((No... Saberleomon... There wasn't any need...)) The black bolt hung the valiant Mega in the air for several seconds until the very end of the attack, then let him fall heavily on his side.  
  
On the mirror-bright faceplate, Psisauromon's final crest, the crest of Justice, began to glow...  
  
"That does it!" Joe yelled, pulling out his Digivice.  
  
"Ikkakumon Digivolve to... ZUDOMON!"  
  
((I agree!)) Psisauromon thought, eyes blazing.  
  
((Psisauromon Digivolve too...  
  
The three crests engraved in Psisauromon's mask shone like spotlights as the faceplate separates into the component crests, now revealed as the elongated octagons that the rest of the Digi-Destined wear. They fly outward of their own initiative, circling about Psisauromon in the points of an equilateral triangle that hover just above the ground.  
  
The silver Digivice leapt off the Reptoid's waistband and flew over his head.   
  
"Level two, upgrade initialize." An unknown feminine voice calmly intoned as three rays of light emerged from the Digivice and struck the three crests, in turn re-emitting the beams as multicolored energy that bathe Psisauromon in rainbow hues. The shifting colors formed into a triangular pyramid that spun about the champion, focusing power.  
  
Psisauromon's face is exactly the same as the mask that covered it. No mouth, only two nostrils between the large scales of the reptilian face. The fires that normally covered him extinguished suddenly with the narrowing of his eyes then burst out between his shoulder blades, flaring out like wings, fiery phoenix wings that turned into large masses of bone and membrane.   
  
Psisauromon grew, brown pants bulging and ripping at the seams as his body expanded to immensity. Neck and head stretched out as if taffy, a mouth splitting the blank face, and filling with nasty, pointed metal teeth. The elongated head tapered to a rounded point; out of the back of the skull grew a bone frill. The eerily empty right eye was replaced by one of brilliant silver, the other remaining gleaming gold.  
  
Starting from the back of the neck and moving down the swelling back, a single row of curved spines emerged among the thickening scales. A long, flat, serrated and segmented tail flows out behind the Digivolving shape, lashing at the earth and leaving deep gouges. Rearing up on sturdy hind legs and balancing on his tail, Psisauromon reveals an underbelly of pale yellow serpentine scutes that outline an impressively muscular human-like torso. Hands and feet morph into claw-tipped appendages that flex in anticipation of battle as the new Digimon roars, unleashing a great gout of flame that illuminates the heavens.  
  
The pyramid of crests and Digivice fly apart, the crests changing shape again, growing as they streak toward Benjamon's ultimate, striking wings and chest. Flowing like mercury across the extended wings, the crests of Honor and Justice coat the delicate-seeming structures with armor; on his chest, the crest of Compassion forms bands of Chrome Digizoid plating that clank into place along the scutes, then moves to cover the outer appendages with living metal. The field of rainbow color vanishes, revealing the blood red scales and silver armor of...  
  
"DRAGUDRAMON!"  
  
Towering a full sixty feet above the battlefield, the Dramon grinned toothily at Metaletemon, who momentarily had a thought about the mortality of any substance, even the sturdy Chrome Digizoid.   
  
Digimon Analyzer  
Dragudramon  
Level: Ultimate  
Type: Vaccine  
Classification: Sun Dragon Digimon  
  
This is what I locked away by honor, justice, and compassion. Benjamon had to become worthy of the power Dragudramon possesses, for, like Altoids, it is curiously strong. The Bio-mechanical armor responds to thought, amplifying strength, speed, and durability. This is especially important on the undercarriage, where the scales are weaker and could be prone to the 'Smaug' effect. The line of Benjamon's Digivolutions are the guardians of light; solar energy again burns hotly in his attacks, and 'Dragon Slicer' uses talons and tail to cleave away an opponent's life.  
-Drowzee1  
  
"Check me out! I'm HUGE!" Dragudramon chortled, bending down and snatching Metaletemon in his scimitar claws. "You wanted me to join your show, Superfreak? Here's my answer! DRAGON INFERNO!" The red dragon strafed the city with a wave of fire from his mouth, turning several blocks into molten rubble. He smashed the struggling Mega into the concrete and brought his head down until the large silver eye looked straight into the shades. "You feelin' hot, hot, hot?"   
  
"Saberleomon!" Mimi cried, putting her head next to that of the fallen cat. "Say something! Please tell me you're all right!"  
  
"Grrr... That damn dirty ape!" Zudomon growled, hefting his hammer as the monkey applied a Metal Punch to the giant Dramon's jaw that merely made the head recoil on the lengthy neck.  
  
"VULCAN'S HAMMER!" Smashing his mallet to the ground, Zudomon generated a force ray that the arrogant Metaletemon took between the ideograms on his chest, not even shaking the hideous gold medallion that hung from his neck.   
  
"That didn't even phase me! You see, my body's made of Chrome Digizoid, the absolute strongest metal there is!" Metaletemon strutted slowly toward the fallen Saberleomon. "What's new, pussy cat? Don't bother with dirty looks, Ah don't have a guilty conscience about sendin' you to that great cat box in the sky!"  
  
"Question. What is your obsession with destroying the Digi-Destined?" Dragudramon interrupted as he popped his jaw back into place. "Given that you're the minority, and this is your eve of destruction, perhaps you could give me something for your epitaph."  
  
The ape stopped in his tracks, thrilled to have the chance to hear his own voice. "Why not? Doesn't really matter when Ah destroy you, and you can't get the best of me; Ah suppose Ah could tell about myself again." He enthusiastically launched into a second poorly sung explanation of his defeat by Metalgreymon and subsequent rebirth as the mighty Metaletemon. Meanwhile, Dragudramon slowly bent down put his hands about the Mega. "And that's why Ah am the way Ah am!" Metaletemon triumphantly concluded, ignoring the look of extreme boredom on Ogremon's mug.   
  
"Really..." Dragudramon tried to stifle a yawn. "Oh, one more thing. We haven't been properly introduced. So... Hello, goodbye!" he slammed his hands around Metaletemon, but the ape jumped out just before his palms crashed together!  
  
"Ha, ha! U can't touch this!" Metaletemon crowed, running a hand over his metal hair. "Was that your last resort, you pathetic losers?"  
  
"DRAGON SLICER!" Dragudramon spun rapidly, his bladed tail blurring. It cut through the ruins, tearing up old buildings and foundations like wet tissue paper. Sparks coruscated from the sudden contact between tail and Metaletemon's ankles, knocking the feet out from under the vicious virus with a metallic scream.   
  
"Why you...you ruined my finish!" Metaletemon shouted, jumping back to his feet, his tail lashing furiously.  
  
"Yeah, I got a line on you... By the way, Mmmbop!" Dragudramon's right foot came down on Metaletemon, pushing the Mega into the ground. "Since you'll never surrender, you're life's goal will remain incomplete."  
  
"Ah'm far too tough to be defeated!" the Elvis impersonator retorted, pushing back up against the weighty load.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Joe demanded, his voice quaking with rage. "Don't play with him! He's a killer!"  
  
"Yeah, and of all the small things he did, taking down Saberleomon puts me into a mood to BREAK THINGS!" Ogremon bellowed, ducking in under the huge foot. "Leomon's MY RIVAL! PUMMEL WHACK! PUMMEL WHACK! PUMMEL WHACK!" even injured, Ogremon's fighting spirit and rage were undiminished as he delivered slam after vicious slam with his club. Metaletemon's body rang like a bell with each savage stroke, but the Chrome Digizoid Mega didn't even scratch!  
  
"Disappointed?" Metaletemon said, holding up Dragudramon's foot with all of his strength. "Ah am a tower of power! Nothing you do can really hurt this beautiful Chrome Digizoid!"  
  
"Well, let me try, then!" Zudomon grinned under his orange facial hair. "VULCAN'S HAMMER!" rather than using his claw hammer to make the force beam, Zudomon hurled his heavy weapon at the trapped monkey. The mallet spun in under the pressing foot and impacted Metaletemon between the pectoral muscles with the point of the claw. The sudden stress broke through the Chrome Digizoid, a network of cracks forming in Metaletemon's chest as the hammer bounced out and flew back to Zudomon's hand.  
  
Looking down, Metaletemon gaped dumbly at the rapidly expanding fissures in his once flawless body. "No! It's impossible! Why does this keep happening to me?" he cried in fear.  
  
"Because my hammer is also made of Chrome Digizoid!" This time it was the Digi-Destined's time to gloat, and gloat Zudomon did; this was surprising, given the seemingly limited range of emotions and expressions that composed his repertoire.   
  
"And now, just like an aluminum can can be stood on until you dent the sides..." Dragudramon chuckled and set his full weight on Metaletemon's stressed structure. The cracks widened dramatically, and pieces began to fall out. The more Metaletemon struggled to get free, the faster his end came. "And I think being ground into the dirt is entirely appropriate for you, who sought to place yourself as the best Digimon; whose ascension was made by stepping on the backs of others, and who tried to live up to the enormous ego made in the process..."   
  
"You can't destroy me!"   
  
"Oh, but we can! Karma, karma...Or, what goes around, comes around, bigger, nastier, and with teeth you wouldn't believe!" Metaletemon broke apart, legs and torso crumbling under the draconic pressure and torsion Dragudramon exerted, twisting his foot as one would do when thoroughly crushing an ant or other undesirable creature. Finally, only the head remained of the once-mighty Mega, and Dragudramon pulled back his foot to look at the shattered visage. "Well..."  
  
"Ah swear Ah'll kill you! Ah swear..."  
  
"HOWLING CRUSHER!" A glowing paw wrapped about the head, and smashed it into data dust that swirled away on the winds. Saberleomon shone brilliantly, and then returned to Leomon.   
  
"He did it!" Joe exclaimed, as Leomon went from standing to falling flat on his muzzle without even buckling at the knees, a sudden collapse from extreme exhaustion and damage.  
  
Mimi began to cry, sparkling tears flowing down her smooth cheeks as she ran to Leomon's side, hair flying back behind her. "Leomon!"  
  
Zudomon returned to Gomamon, and Dragudramon to Benjamon. "He fought with all his heart... Maybe we should do him the honor of getting him face up?" Gomamon said somberly, too depressed by the impending loss of a friend to make up a joke.  
  
Ogremon set down his club. "Let me. None of you guys has the strength to pick up this sack of cat hair." The usual edge to his voice was gone, and his blue eyes were soft, looking oddly like Mimi's. He grabbed Leomon's limp arm, and hauled his age-old foe up to his shoulder. Together, the rivals moved slowly to the stairs of the diner, Ogremon growling at anyone who tried to help. Finally, Ogremon set Leomon down gently so that the lion could see everyone...  
  
"Leomon? It's me, Mimi!" "Come on!" "Yeah, wake up!" A crowd of voices vying for the fallen champion's attention.  
  
Joe, however, looked forlornly at his dufflebag, tears brimming behind his glasses. "Ace bandages and toilet paper won't help this time!" he moaned, lifting the bag and hurling it down the stairs. Benjamon vanished from Leomon's side; his hand guards a silver streak as he moved and caught the bag before it touched the ground.  
  
"Baka Joe!" Benjamon barked. "You don't know how right you are... The only reason Leomon's still holding together is sheer willpower. He's got nothing else left!"  
  
"How do you know?"   
  
"These glasses don't lie!" Benjamon reached into the bag, and took out a carefully wrapped package. "These smell right. Anyway, we've got a wild card. Peacemon's roses seem to be a universal elixir, and Leomon has shown himself to be worthy of saving." He gingerly removed a light pink rose and placed it on Leomon's chest.  
  
"That little rose can keep Leomon alive?" Ogremon tapped the delicate blossom with a gnarled green finger.   
  
"Put me back together after I got smashed by Puppetmon."  
  
"Huh."  
  
On exhausted muscles, the rose bloomed, petals unfolding and spreading out. Pollen spread around Leomon smelling of summer days, cantaloupe, and the combined scent of thousands of pink roses and carnations.   
  
Incoming Message.  
  
"What now?" Benjamon wondered silently as Peacemon, the cannabis plant smoking a joint, appeared on his lenses like they were a television screen.   
  
"Hey, mon! What's the deal with using a rose on a Digimon past help?" the image transmitted text directly to the lens.   
  
"Past help? I was in far worse condition when you healed me!"   
  
Mimi looked up from the rose. "Who are you talking to?"  
  
"He's burned inside, lotta black energy trashed this cat. I can only do the good mojo if I've got something to work on!" Peacemon answered.  
  
"Just a moment, Mimi! Leomon's sticking around through force of mind, can't you use that?"  
  
"It's not just will power, it's destiny!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Benjamon!" this time, Joe was looking at him. "Nothing's happening!"  
  
"Hold on! I'm trying to think or something! Peacemon, he's destined to reconfigure here?"  
  
"Mon, it's like... Fate over mind over matter. Far out."  
  
"Listen, pipsqueak! You saying that Leomon's dying even with this miracle flower mumbo jumbo?" Ogremon's club came uncomfortably close to Benjamon's head.  
  
"What? No! I mean, yes! Peacemon, can't you do anything? A suggestion, even!"  
  
"I can suggest something, sure."  
  
"What is it?  
  
"PUMMEL WHACK!"  
  
"DUCK, MON!"  
  
Benjamon dropped to his knees as Ogremon's bone club whistled overhead.   
  
"Do I have your attention now, kid?" the virus snarled. "What's going on?"  
  
"Ye...yes." Benjamon answered to the looming green champion. "Peacemon says that the rose can't help because Leomon's been fried on the inside."  
  
"Bah! I knew this wouldn't work!" Grabbing the rose, Ogremon shredded the gentle flower and threw the mangled pulp away.  
  
Mimi started to cry again, and Joe's eyes lost hope.  
  
"Peacemon!" Benjamon started to say, but the image was gone.  
  
Leomon's chest rose... "The forest..." he rasped. "The forest is disappearing!"   
  
Everyone looked back towards the woods, which were now sliding away with a low rumble as the forest disappeared to be reconfigured.   
  
"It's a sign something positive has happened." Leomon quietly continued. "Your friends must have defeated Puppetmon. That's good... I expected that they would."  
  
Benjamon returned the three remaining roses to Joe's bag and set it gently by the steps. He walked off, staring as the last of the forest vanished on Infinity Mountain. He was upset about the loss of Leomon, but if this was part of the Destiny he had tried to interfere with... He again thought of the line of balance between the light and the dark. His attempt to use the rose was rejected by Destiny; clearly this fight, saving Mimi, and what Leomon was saying now had been the purpose of the Lion by Fate, the rest of his life was only a buildup to this point. Ogremon, too, was manipulated. By forcing Leomon to fight again and again, Ogremon was Destiny's tool to make the lion strong enough to save Mimi at that single point in time. Benjamon was no longer needed here; he was, in fact, no longer needed anywhere. Again, he was an outside chance, a roll of the dice that could result in success or failure for the Digi-Destined, and more likely, Life and Death.   
  
Did he really think that he could force Fate's hand to the desired outcome of saving the Digi-Destined and defeating the Dark Masters? A single tear that burned like fire emerged from his eye, scalding its way down his face. "I don't belong." He whispered quietly. "And I don't want to die... I don't want them to die, either... I guess I just need to get away from them, go somewhere where I won't be a danger to whatever Destiny wants from them."  
  
"Hey! Benjamon!" Gomamon called. "We're going!"   
  
Benjamon shook his head slowly. "No." he murmured, not turning to look.  
  
"Come on!" Palmon added. "We're going to find Allies to help fight the Dark Masters!"  
  
"Benjamon Digivolve to... PSISAUROMON!))  
  
"That's the spirit!" Joe said. "Shouldn't you save your strength, though?"  
  
((I'm not coming with you.)) Psisauromon turned to face the expectant faces, which suddenly fell off with a nearly audible crash.  
  
"Why? After you say you're pledged to protect us, you abandon us?" Mimi said, her voice as trembling as a bird song.   
  
((I don't want to...))  
  
"Then let's go!" Ogremon snapped. "Or do I have to beat you until you agree?"  
  
((I have to go. I'm a danger to you all. I tried to fool myself into thinking that I can only be helpful, but now that Leomon's dead because of your Destiny...))  
  
"WHAT?"   
  
((I realize that my help could just as easily be your destruction. What if I'd hit Saberleomon with that Psi Shield, and deleted him on the spot? My crest wouldn't have glowed, and Zudomon would have had to face Metaletemon alone! Your Destiny as the Digi-Destined is powerful, but if I bump things the wrong way...))  
  
"But you'd..." Mimi began.  
  
Psisauromon held up a burning hand. ((Please, don't. I must say good bye here, because at least we're all still alive to hear it. Keep the roses, and remember me from time to time. I'm going to find the others and tell them the same; I want to see you all... One last time.)) ((PSI SHIELD!))  
  
When the psychic platform appeared, Psisauromon stepped onto it lightly, and began to rise. ((One more thing. Ogremon?))  
  
"Whadda you want, traitor?"  
  
((I'll ignore that. But if you let Joe or Mimi come to harm, I'll hunt you down and cut their pain out of your hide. Consider that a friendly little warning.))  
  
With that, Psisauromon flew out of sight, just a spirit in the sky.  
  
  
*elvician: adj. Pertaining to, reminiscent of, or relating to Elvis.  
-Drowzee1's book O' new words  



	11. Rock 'em, Sock 'em Dramon

Rock 'em Sock 'em Dramon!  
  
Scene: After Leomon's death, Benjamon was forced to realize that the Prophecy of the Digi-Destined is more powerful and potentially dangerous than he previously thought. Knowing now that his presence now endangers the Digi-Destined in their quest to defeat the Dark Masters, Benjamon leaves Joe and Mimi in order to find the others and say goodbye...   
  
High above the desert sands, Psisauromon glided on a platform of psionic energy, searching out the Digi-Destined's thoughts. Mind waves leave a slight ripple in data fields, much like masses can be found by looking for gravitational depressions in the fabric of space-time. There wasn't much but a faint pull to the north, where the most minds were located. Matt had gone off on his own, and at this distance he wasn't an efficient choice to pursue.  
  
Miles slid by, telephone poles and roads but mostly sand. Slight course corrections based on where Psisauromon felt the children's minds were no major task, so he had plenty of time to figure out what he was going to say.   
'I can't stay with you, even though I want to. I have to leave for good to protect your safety by preserving the prophecy... doesn't feel right'   
'Ask not what your countr... no.'  
'When, in the course of human events... no.'  
'I cannot stay, I must be going... er, no.'  
'And a time for every purpose under the heavens... Maybe.'  
'Ah, I'll figure it out when I get there.'  
  
Over the horizon, the yellow sands were replaced by a growing gray mass, a city skyline set in the middle of the wasteland. 'Surely they weren't silly enough to go in there...' he thought. A building collapsed, vanishing from the mixed skyline before he heard a loud blast and rumble. 'On the other claw, they'll go wherever they have to... this accursed Destiny that's forcing my departure from the Digi-Destined is dragging them into traps!' Psisauromon crouched on the Psi Shield and accelerated, turning the remaining miles into a blur as he left a jet trail of fire in his wake.   
  
'What is this place? The Space Needle, The Golden Gate Bridge, Tokyo Tower, The Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, Empire State Building and World Trade Center, Sydney Opera House, and the Acropolis? Is this the city from "Babe 2"? Man, what a weird amalgamation of countries and architectural styles!' Psisauromon looked out over the great city and saw devastated city blocks with strange mechanical Digimon patrolling the streets. Also, there were three mental signatures of Digimon that sent a thrilled shudder along his broad spine...Dramon! 'Well, now. An amusing diversion...' Something in Psisauromon's blood spoke, overriding his previous logic by flooding him with the thrill of battle against his own kind. 'Let's take it up a notch, then.'  
  
((Psisauromon Digivolve to... DRAGUDRAMON!"  
  
"HYPER CANNON!" A shell raced past Dragudramon's head. Looking down, Dragudramon spotted the insolent Digimon that had shot at him. A Tankmon, with a large millimeter cannon for a nose, tank treads, and missile delivery systems on each hand. "HYPER CANNON!" Shouted another, launching their explosive shell. Dragudramon swept to the side, talons ripping through the penthouse of a hotel as the shell flew off and vanished in the sky. A whole platoon of Tankmon rolled out from the side streets, heads all pointed at him.  
  
Digimon Analyzer Version 3.0  
  
Tankmon  
Level: Champion   
Type: Data  
Classification: Android Digimon  
  
  
"Stupid fools. DRAGON INFERNO!" Dragudramon flew the length of the avenue, exhaling flame that incinerated the entire battalion, turned the asphalt into a molten pit of hell, and generally wreaked fiery havoc wherever his breath touched. "That'll do nicely...Now, where are those kids?"   
  
Something circled behind him. "And who are you?" it hissed. "Speak fast or die."  
  
"Dragudramon. What's your beef?" Dragudramon backpedaled his armored wings and landed in an intersection, turning slowly to face the voice head-on. Hovering above the street and training a missile tube on the red dragon, a Megadramon looked like he meant business.  
  
Digimon Analyzer Version 3.0  
Megadramon  
Level: Ultimate  
Type: Virus  
Classification: Dark Dragon Digimon  
Attacks:   
Genocide Attack: Threat level Medium, class 6. High-yield missiles shot from 'hands'   
Ultimate Slicer: Threat level Medium, class 4. Energy blades fired from closed 'hands'  
Description:  
In thrall to Machinedramon, used to create large-scale destruction. Except for metal 'helmet', only real armor exists in biomechanical arms, where both attacks are initiated. Suggest amputation of Megadramon's limbs to prevent serious retaliation. Snakelike body and leathery wings are excellent for turns and evasive maneuvers, advantageous in urban dogfighting.   
  
"What are you doing here, Dragudramonwhatsyourbeef? Answer quickly." Megadramon commanded, clicking his steely flanges open and shut menacingly.   
  
"Listening to a very poor joke." Dragudramon snorted, folding his armored arms across his chest and looking away in contempt.   
  
"You are not permitted to occupy any area of this city. The penalty for trespassing is death!"   
  
"There's a surprise. I'll bet the penalty for loitering is death, as well as the penalty for jaywalking, littering, and parking infractions."  
  
"So you die!" six claws snapped open, revealing the bores of missile tubes.  
  
"Alas, what shall become of me? Why must brother Dramon fight?" Dragudramon sighed dramatically, drawing the back of one taloned hand across the ridge of his nose.  
  
"GENOCIDE ATTACK!" Missiles with faces rushed out, leaving a trail of smoke.   
  
Dragudramon dropped to the street as the missiles whistled just over the bony frill wrapped about the back of his head. "You pathetic, worthless---!" he bellowed as the explosives blew out the foundations of twenty-story office buildings to his left and right, bringing the structures down onto his head!  
  
"GENOCIDE ATTACK!" Megadramon shot off another pair of missiles into the pile of debris, making sure he not only destroyed Dragudramon, but also buried the trespasser where he stood.   
  
The pile of steel, concrete and glass was still, but smoking.  
  
"Ahh... Nothing like a job well done." The remaining dragon turned to go...  
  
"...EXCUSE FOR A DRAMON!" Dragudramon finished, surging up in a shower of shimmering glass and steel. Clouds of concrete dust flowed off his silver wings and red scales. He shaking his head vigorously, he glared at Megadramon. "That will be known as mistake number one." Dragudramon growled, plucking a network of girders from the debris around him and ripping it into the longest straight piece possible. "We're going to play a game. You run---and I'll kill you as nastily as I can."  
  
"You don't stand a chance against me! ULTIMATE SLICER!" claws clanked shut, the points glowing a brilliant, deep blue. From each hand, a crescent energy blade flashed forth, spinning like propellers and weaving through the air, tearing chunks out of the buildings unfortunate enough to be in the way.   
  
"You're only making it more painful for yourself!" Dragudramon grinned sadistically, teeth scattering the light in all directions, waiting as the whirling indigo blades came ever closer. "The more you try to win, the longer I'm going to let you suffer. HRUGH!" Dragudramon hunkered on his massive legs, then launched into the air, flipping head over tail, the blades passing harmlessly under him. The flat of his tail whirled around and slammed into Megadramon's armored head, knocking the dark dramon into the pavement. "Now, my brother, I'm going to give you the latest rage in fashion... A head ring." Bending the girder into a large circle, Dragudramon set the ends onto Megadramon's metal helmet and exhaled fire onto the connecting surfaces until the steel melted together. Megadramon thrashed about the street, screaming in agony. "See how easy it is for me to cause pain in the dark and twisted?" Spreading his silver wings, Dragudramon fanned the red-hot metal cool, giving Megadramon a permanent handle. "Okay, buckethead." Dragudramon growled, picking up his enemy by the bent girder.   
  
"LET ME GO, FIEND!" Megadramon screeched as Dragudramon's right hand wrapped around the serpentine neck and clenched the ring in his left.   
  
"Fat chance!" the sun dragon Digimon replied, simultaneously pulling and twisting the dark dragon's body from its head.   
  
"AHHHH! GENOCIDE ATTACK!" Megadramon opened fire at point-blank range, firing missile after missile into Dragudramon's armored belly. Both dramon vanished in the expanding blast field, the city blocks around them disintegrating into so many clouds of dust and shrapnel. The explosions stopped suddenly, the entire city ringing with echoes of detonating warheads. At the epicenter, there was a crunch of separating vertebrae and a dull clank as Megadramon's severed head rolled out, jaw opening and shutting in shock before disintegrating into its component data.   
  
"Light serves to defeat the dark, some say." Dragudramon rumbled from within the settling dust. "But they are wrong... So was I. And so was Megadramon." He would have continued to wax poetic on the subject, but he looked down to check for damage, and... "That sonofa... He scratched my armor! Mon, It'll take AGES to buff it back to shining! Rest in pieces, Megadramon!" Dragudramon launched into the air and soared away, grumbling about fine-grit sandpaper and Brillo pads.  
  
The activities had not gone unnoticed; city blocks don't just explode without apparent reason. The army of machines converged on the crater, and found nothing but detritus and debris, molten glass and concrete, steel and smoldering wood. At the underground control center, the Gearmon were confused... "Megadramon has vanished from detection field!" one whined, scanning the city again.   
"There was an energy surge before final tracking signal was received; perhaps we should consider the Megadramon unit destroyed." the second said, teeth grinding.  
"An acceptable assumption, Gearmon. We have also lost a full battalion of Tankmon."  
"Search units report no further activity in the area. Give the order to widen search to the air?"  
"Affirmative! Machinedramon has followed the Digi-destined underground; we should eliminate all possible sources of outside interference."  
  
The box-like Mechanorimon took off from the crater, thrusters firing from their feet. Already instituting an expanding spiral search pattern was a coal gray Gigadramon who now had a personal reason to destroy the interloper.   
  
"That's the biggest molehill I've ever seen!" Dragudramon exclaimed as he circled above a hole the size of an office block. 'The Digi-Destined don't seem to be above ground... I would've been able to find them, I'm sure.' He thought, finding no need to speak to the cavernous network of tunnels and lines below. 'They must be down there. It's the only location I can't fly over.'   
  
With a great back sweep of wings, Dragudramon slowed his flight and drifted down to the darkness. Just as his claws caught on the rim of the crater...  
  
"INTRUDER LOCATED." A bolt of red light smashed into the toughened scales, driving Dragudramon down the hole. Scrabbling to regain his footing was awarded with a volley of five identical blows "You bastards!" the dramon grunted, tearing chunks of concrete and asphalt from the edge as each 'Twin Beam' blew him deeper into the ground. "You're starting to piss me off!" "I'm warning you!" "Oh, you're dead now!" Unable to spread his wings within the confines of the hole, Dragudramon steadily lost ground, slipping into the darkness of the underground. Logically, He should have just gone down, but a call to battle surged in his algorithms, flooded his subroutines.   
  
  
  
Digimon Analyzer Version 3.0  
Mechanorimon:  
Level: Champion  
Type: Virus  
Classification: Machine Digimon  
Attack:  
Twin beam: Threat level Low, class 4. Energy bolt.  
  
Description:  
Essentially metal boxes sporting flat, multiple-jointed legs and arms, the Mechanorimon are a common Mechanoid Digimon. The particular Mechanorimon being examined here are being ordered about by the digital equivalent of a radio signal. Their orders are to keep the peace in Machinedramon's empire by force and sheer numbers.   
  
Note: Mechanorimon seem to have two 'modes'. One, They operate as stand-alone Digimon, and two, they can be controlled by another Digimon, such as Bakemon.   
They are useful because of their flight capabilities, providing additional mobility to ground-bound Digimon.  
  
  
Since Dragudramon wouldn't give ground, the ground gave it for him. A large crescent section of the street collapsed, and he fell out of sight along with roughly two tons of an interesting substance somewhere in transition from pavement to debris.  
  
Two Mechanorimon were dispatched to scout the hole; when they returned with nothing to report, the rest of the mechanical army began to disperse.  
  
At Machinedramon HQ:  
  
"Search turned up negative." One Gearmon reported, spinning its cogs.  
"Assume target destroyed? The energy signal has vanished." Another stated, grinding teeth.  
  
"Those dirty Mechanorimon!" Dragudramon fumed, burrowing his way through the sewers. "Shooting me in the back!" He paused in his efforts to rest and regain some energy before continuing.  
  
Several blocks down, the ground began to quiver and groan.  
  
"What the..."  
  
The street and sewer floor ripped apart as a mechanical beast pushed past, shrugging off falling concrete as if it were feathers.  
  
  
  
Digimon Analyzer Version 3.0  
Machinedramon  
Level: Mega  
Type: Virus  
Classification: Machine Digimon  
Attacks:  
Dragon Fire: Threat Level High, class 2. High-power jackhammer blows from hand. Capable of setting up oscillations throughout body with Threat level High, class 0.  
Giga Cannon: Threat Level High, variable class. Cannons on back launch energy bolts. Can go from class 2 to class 7 with addition of fuel to blast chamber from red and blue hoses linked to supply box located between cannons.  
  
Description:  
As implied by the name, Machinedramon is a mechanical dragon. Thought to be composed of high-grade steel, significantly less sturdy than Chrome Digizoid. However: Mega-Level Structural reinforcement fields are in position around chassis; gaps are few, if any. Geared heavily towards offense and strength, defense suffers because of a lack of speed. Machinedramon is an old and experienced Digimon, and assumed to have full knowledge of the most efficient and effective fighting techniques for his power and reach.   
Major weak point: Hosing.   
  
  
Dragudramon's eyes alit with anticipation of glorious battle... then dimmed as Machinedramon moved out of sight. "COME BACK HERE!" He bellowed, ripping his way out of the underground. "Damn!" Dragudramon hissed as Machinedramon moved off through the city, bringing down so much infrastructure that his path became concealed in the trail of destruction. "That's the one I want! The one I must destroy!" Eyes shining like beacons, Dragudramon shouldered aside the street above, ignoring the power cables that snapped and ran enough electricity to power five skyscrapers into his body. Indeed, he absorbed it, crackling arcs of charge traveling between his metal-sheathed body and the ground. The Tankmon and Mechanorimon that fell into the widening hole were less lucky. High voltage coursing through the machines fused joints and fried the logic algorithms of the unfortunate as Dragudramon rose like a vision from Nikola Tesla's dreams, cold electric fire sprouting from every surface and rising above the ground, above the rooftops, into the air above the city.   
  
"A trifle showy, aren't you?" another sibilant voice spoke from behind. "I'll bet you are the one that deleted Megadramon."  
  
Without turning around, Dragudramon answered... "Yeah, what of it? He was stupid; attacking his superior." Now orienting his body on the voice, Dragudramon glared with eyes ringed by electricity. "So... Are you just as stupid, wyrm?"  
  
  
  
Digimon Analyzer Version 3.0  
Gigadramon:  
Level: Ultimate  
Type: Virus  
Classification: Cyborg Digimon  
Attacks:  
Genocide Gear: Threat Level High, class 0. Cutting energy gear shot from 'hands'.  
Guilty Claw: Threat Level Medium, class 8. Physical smashing attack.  
  
Description:  
Related to Megadramon, Gigadramon is a cybernetic dragon Digimon with a short temper and augmented strength. However, the bio-mechanical power is less than half of Dragudramon's, and should be an easy kill. Gigadramon serves in Machinedramon's 'Metal Empire' and has the specific purpose of selective search and destruction with maximum efficiency and precision. Agility is medium to high, and slim profile makes Gigadramon a difficult target at mid to long range.  
To most readily neutralize, recommend removing arms, wings are not known to serve any useful purpose.  
  
  
  
Gigadramon circled, tail snapping in irritation. "SUPERIOR? STUPID? Bah! You're nothing more than a trumped up pest! You..."   
  
"Tell it to Megadramon." Dragudramon interrupted. "You'll be with him soon enough. Now, if you want to die uselessly, come closer, or attack me from there. Do anything but talk, wyrm."   
  
Gigadramon's pupils went to pinpoints as his anger rose...  
"GENOCIDE GEAR!" a small whirling disk of black chi formed between the talons on Gigadramon's hands, swelling up into a great obsidian cog. "UURGH!" from suspension between his cybernetic claws, the gear flew forth, rending the air into screaming streamers.  
  
Dragudramon snorted, and backhanded the disk when it came within reach, avoiding the sharp edge that sliced through an office complex, splitting it in half. As the bisected building fell, Gigadramon flew off into the clouds to wait for another chance.   
  
"Not so fast, brother," Dragudramon growled, flying after the gray snake-dramon "We need to settle accounts..." Reaching out, Dragudramon snatched Gigadramon's tail from the air just as the cyborg Digimon entered a cloudbank.   
  
"GUILTY CLAW!" Somewhere inside the cloud, Gigadramon's body snapped like a whip, bringing two metallic talons fiercely down onto Dragudramon's armored forearms. The attack wasn't damaging, but it was so sudden Dragudramon let go in sheer surprise.  
  
"Nice move." He commented, winging his way around the clouds, searching for the prey that had just eluded him...  
  
The cloud was inert and silent. Gigadramon hid inside, flying without moving, able to prevent himself from disturbing the cloud. 'Damn...' he thought, listening to Dragudramon's heavy wing beats. 'If only I'd been on patrol with Megadramon when he encountered this threat, we could have trashed him! If I make it out alive, I'm going to kill those stupid Gearmon for splitting us up!' moving slowly, Gigadramon pantomimed his 'Genocide Gear' attack, imagining the stupid rookie lackeys that ran operations for the Machine Empire deleting.   
  
The air was quiet. The flapping of Dragudramon's wings had grown weaker and vanished as the sun dragon moved away, either bored or confused about Gigadramon's position. After several minutes, Gigadramon eased his head out and peered around. It appeared that the intruder had gone. He'd have to deal with that chrome-plated moron soon enough, but he needed to find an advantage against the strength and armor of Dragudramon.  
  
Sliding out of the cloud like a snake, Gigadramon examined the city again. The remnants of the Tankmon and Mechanorimon platoons were still patrolling the streets, only about a quarter of the original number remaining. "I'm gonna catch hell for this, running away in a battle... But that dramon is just too damn powerful for me alone..." he mused, only vaguely noticing the whistling of the wind. The noise grew louder, like a bomb dropping, and a shadow fell across a nearby cloudbank.  
  
Dragudramon, who had been aware of Gigadramon's position through the effects of the crest of Compassion, had been hiding his great silver and red body in the glare of the sun overhead, waiting, just as Gigadramon had, for an opportunity. Dragudramon struck Gigadramon's thin back, and grabbed Gigadramon as a bird of prey would a meal, securing each arm in a vice-like grip, and clamping both feet around the long gray tail. Finally, Dragudramon bit right at the base of Gigadramon's metal skull plate, and ground his teeth to exacerbate the wound.   
  
"Don't destroy me!" Gigadramon screeched, writhing madly... "GUILTY CLAW!" his entire body thrummed with power, but Dragudramon held on, ratcheting his claws down on his prey's arms and tail. "I'll... I'll help you!" The pressure eased slightly. "You're here for those kids, right?" Again, the pain was reduced as Dragudramon listened, spreading his wings to have the pair hover above the city. "You're out to make a name for yourself?" Gigadramon hazarded, sweating oil that caught fire when it got near Dragudramon's mouth... The pressure didn't change, so Gigadramon continued, his battle-trained mind jumping to what he thought was the obvious conclusion... "I'll help you kill those kids! We'll be heroooo...!!" Dragudramon's eyes flashed, and his entire body burned with anger as he started to squeeze and pull at Gigadramon, crushing the metal body like the shell of a hard-boiled egg.  
  
Underneath the city below them, Machinedramon was getting fed up with the futile attacks of the Digidestined Digimon and Andromon. "GIGA CANNON!" He rasped, firing energy bolts continuously from his cannons, demolishing the thousands of tons of concrete above within seconds.   
  
Pulling back to weave about the blasts, Dragudramon felt the presence of the Digidestined in his 'soul'... He also felt the cold, metallic energy of Machinedramon pervading the area, instantly raising Dragudramon's desire to fight and protect to their highest levels. Without thinking about consequences, he turned in the air to power dive directly at Machinedramon's energy pattern, still holding Gigadramon as if crucified in his claws and teeth.   
  
While there are many benefits to the sensory-enhancing capability of the Crest of Compassion, not all of them can function when the wearer is overly emotional... Long story short, Dragudramon and Gigadramon smashed into the remnants of an office building on the edge of the hole. As Gigadramon's head tore through the walls and cubicle partitions, the ground groaned before giving way with a rumbling growl of snapping concrete, glass, and power cables...The entire complex toppled into the hole, smashing Machinedramon with a pile of concrete and steel mixed with office furniture.  
  
At the bottom of the hole...  
Kari was glowing again, that odd pink light that carried great energy to revitalize friendly Digimon and repel evil.   
"Agumon! It's time to Digivolve!" Tai shouted, taking out his Digivice.  
  
"Let's go! Agumon WARP-Digivol..." the orange, show-stealing Digimon began to say when a stray office chair fell onto Tai's head, managing to knock the headstrong boy out cold.  
Sora rushed to Tai's side, using her arm to shield her face from flying debris as Machinedramon shredded the collapsed building's superstructure with a single 'Dragon Fire'.   
  
"Tai! Come on! We need Wargreymon's help!" She shouted above the din, patting his face gently.   
"I'd say he's unconscious..." Izzy commented. "And we, in a manner of speaking, are in big trouble without Wargreymon and his Dramon Destroyers."  
  
Kari shook her head. "No. We've got help on the way." She stated firmly, standing her ground against all the debris and flak...  
  
"Who? We don't know where anyone is, and Metalgarurumon's the only other Mega level on our side." Izzy replied, helping Sora and Agumon pull Tai out of immediate danger.  
  
"Benjamon's coming. I'd duck, everyone."   
  
"What?"  
  
The light at the bottom of the hole fell into darkness as Dragudramon passed overhead, flapping his great armored wings and accelerating towards Machinedramon in a bombing run. Gigadramon had long since passed out from pain, and hung limply in the silver talons and teeth of his captor... until Dragudramon let go, dropping Gigadramon on top of Machinedramon before spreading his wings and soaring sharply upwards into the sunlight before turning around to make another run.  
  
Gigadramon's battered body deleted after colliding heavily with Machinedramon's head, turning to bits of black data that clouded the sky. Before the air had even cleared, Dragudramon landed between Machinedramon and the Digi-Destined, glowering fiercely at the mechanical monstrosity. "Sorry, but your army's in a shambles, your two most powerful servants are destroyed, and your scheduled opponent has been changed to me. What else can go wrong for the mighty Machinedramon today?" he hissed, picking up a chunk of concrete the size of a minivan and hurling it at Machinedramon's empty head.  
  
"What are you doing back here?" Angemon asked, flying above Dragudramon's left shoulder.  
  
The concrete splintered against Machinedramon's raised forearm with a resounding crack.  
  
"I claimed Machinedramon back at the beginning, just before I vanished." Dragudramon rumbled, never taking his eyes off Machinedramon. "Get everyone out."  
  
Angewomon now hovered over Dragudramon's right shoulder. "Why are you always fighting alone? We haven't been able stop Machinedramon together, and..."  
  
The great metal wings flapped irritably. "Don't take this the wrong way gorgeous, but mind your own business. This time, I don't want to win. I want to go down fighting, so that I won't interfere anymore."  
  
"Interfere with what?" Agumon asked, still trying to rouse Tai.  
  
"Your destiny. I'm nothing but a fluke, and as long as I exist, I am a threat to your saving the world. NOW LET ME DO WHAT I HAVE TO!" Dragudramon snapped back, walking forward. "Machinedramon! I have destroyed Megadramon and Gigadramon...You are the only opposing Dramon left for me to fight in your pathetic empire."  
  
"So?" Machinedramon rasped, brandishing his claws. "They are as nothing compared to me. You, too, are nothing; merely an ant to be crushed in a cog."  
  
"So you say..." Dragudramon and Machinedramon now circled, moving away from the Digi-Destined. "Care to back it up, you aluminum-foil freak?"  
  
"GIGA CANNON!" Machinedramon attacked, hunkering down to let Dragudramon have it with both barrels of his steel cannon.   
  
Dragudramon's wings folded over his neck and head, the broad metal surfaces taking the full force of the energy blasts. Even with his talons locked into the ground, Dragudramon slid backwards under the assault, cutting deep furrows in the concrete. "Is that all you got?" he shouted, opening his wings. "I've eaten hot sauces with more kick than that!"  
  
Machinedramon pumped extra blaster fuel into his cannons. "GIGA CANNON!" the tin terror shouted, unleashing a furious blast. When the glowing beams smashed into Dragudramon's wings their force of impact ripped Dragudramon from the ground and hurled him into a skyscraper foundation behind. A network of cracks grew around the dramon-shaped hole; creaks and groans filled the dusty air as the pillar began to buckle under the weight of the building above.  
  
Machinedramon leapt driving Dragudramon's back deeper into the wall with a full-body ram. The feeling of something tearing into Dragudramon's scaly back joined the sharp pain of compression; Machinedramon's tackle had forced a broken steel bar up under the layered armor of scales and into the soft flesh underneath.   
  
Roaring in anger and defiance, Dragudramon grabbed Machinedramon's arm as it swept in for an uppercut, the Chrome-Digizoid armor that protected his arms, legs, and underside clanking deafeningly on Machinedramon's metal hide.   
After positioning his powerful legs against the support, Dragudramon pushed off from the concrete and steel piling and launched himself over Machinedramon's head.  
  
"GIGA CANNON!" Machinedramon rasped, his bolts missing Dragudramon's arms and flat tail by a few inches. The beams of destructive energy raced on to blow away a large chunk of the same tormented and strained pillar that had held Dragudramon.   
  
Up and over Machinedramon's cannons Dragudramon sailed, curling his sixty-foot body into a ball. His forearms maintained their grip on Machinedramon, pulling the Dark Master off the floor while Dragudramon fell to it. Even with Machinedramon's superior mass, Dragudramon's flip and drop lifted Machinedramon up and over in a tight arc. As Dragudramon's hind legs smashed into the floor, his silver talons released Machinedramon. The steel beast spun through the air and landed face down at the opposite end of the trench.  
  
Hissing and snapping, Dragudramon charged across the stinking, slippery battlefield.  
"DRAGON INFERNO!" He bellowed, breathing a plume of white-hot fire onto the prone figure. All around Machinedramon the sewers melted and ran like lava from a volcano, forming clouds of steam and smoke from which Machinedramon's shadow rose, seemingly unharmed.   
  
To the side, the Digi-Destined watched. Tai was still unconscious, but had been moved under Birdramon's great orange wings so that they could be evacuated quickly if the need arose.  
  
Tentomon lifted his claws from in front of his eyes to peek at the violent exchange of blows between Machinedramon and Dragudramon. The sparks each Dramon struck from his foe's armor were reflected in Tentomon's green eyes like meteors in a twilight sky. "This is madness!" he squealed, as Machinedramon slashed down on Dragudramon's back, tearing off a patch of scales. Green ichor oozed from the wound and the scales on Machinedramon's claws,   
Dragudramon roared, using his 'Dragon Slicer' attack to strike Machinedramon's face with two slashes, talons raking across and into hard metal. Several triangular teeth fell from the steely mouth, and oil leaked from some of the gouges down the boxy muzzle. Claw marks on Machinedramon's neck resulted in slowed head motions to avoid overstressing the metal.  
  
The fight lapsed into exchanges of blows to the head at several points, trading off strikes as metal hit metal with a steely ring. Long strips of flesh were scoured from Dragudramon's face and hung like festive ribbons from his skull.  
  
The only unflinching observers were Digimon Champion level and above, and Kari (Tai didn't flinch only because he couldn't, of course). "I thought we were friends..." Sora murmured in between the clangs and screams. "But Dragudramon doesn't want us to help him. He won't even look at us!"   
  
"Dragudramon must be looking at us, or we'd have been trampled by now." Izzy said, "I wish the others were here. Joe would know what to do about Tai, and Metalgarurumon would be a great advantage over Machinedramon."  
  
"Correct. Dragudramon spends a quarter second every five seconds checking our position." Andromon intoned his blank analyzing stare not missing much of the action. "When he looks at us, he gets hit by Machinedramon."  
  
Machinedramon's massive shoulder rammed Dragudramon's metal chest, knocking the ultimate-level dramon on his back with a crash. Then, with a simple stride, Machinedramon's clawed steel hind legs crunched into Dragudramon's spread wings, pinning them to the floor.  
  
"DRAGON FIRE!" Machinedramon announced without ceremony, driving his right hand into Dragudramon's breastplate. Machinedramon mashed savagely and repeatedly with the three sharp digits claws splayed to hit the widest area possible, a jackhammer motion that beat Dragudramon into the floor, shattering ribs and the spinal column almost instantly, even as the Chrome-Digizoid armor of his crests try valiantly to absorb the shocks. A crushing blow causes a fissure to appear in the thick armor plating, which widens, fractures, and shatters under the next few blows. The symbol of the crest of Compassion breaks apart, falling off Dragudramon's body in rattling chunks, revealing yellow scales.  
  
Rather than plunging through Dragudramon's soft underside, Machinedramon's claws seek the struggling left wing, pounding the armor to pieces and ripping through the membrane. Methodically, logically, the wing is pounded and torn to pieces, leaving only a bleeding stump on Dragudramon's back.  
  
Screaming in pain, Dragudramon lashed his long, sharp tail, miraculously still able to move despite his broken back. With green ichor oozing from his mouth, Dragudramon roars, "DRAGON SLICER!" and lashed his silvery tail down on Machinedramon's unprotected back.   
  
Powered by desperation, the sharp-edged metal tail slices through the red and blue tubes that provide fuel to Machinedramon's Giga Cannon with an audible snap.  
  
Now Machinedramon leapt away roaring and snarling, leaving the right wing pristine but useless because of all the other injuries sustained. The Dark Master spewed blaster fuel from the severed blue and red hoses; the cut ends shimmied and writhed like snakes, covering Machinedramon with thick orange fluid.   
  
Using most of his remaining strength to lift his tattered and battered head from the ground, Dragudramon took a deep breath...  
  
"DRAGON INFERNO!"  
  
"NO!" Machinedramon bellowed, knowing the wave of fire rushing to the fuel puddle at his feet could be the end of him.   
  
The orange pool caught fire so fast that the air was above was shoved aside with a WOMPH. Out of the hellish blaze came Machinedramon, charging at the helpless Dragudramon in a blind rage. Fire covered every surface, and spurted from the ends of the severed fuel lines, igniting and sending a rain of fire into the air.  
  
The Dark Master didn't make it in time.  
  
The hoses burned through, and the flames ran into the supply box... then down, down, down into Machinedramon's internal fuel storage. A grating roar turned to an explosion as the confined fuel ignited and exploded, smashing through Machinedramon, blasting off his stubby tail. The force of the escaping blast lifted the hundred-ton terror into the air, smashing him into a hospital at the edge of the wide trench.   
  
Dragudramon blinked, tired... The world was slipping, getting dim. At least this time his death had a point. This time, he'd die having done what he knew was right.  
  
He became vaguely aware of touches on his still-armored forearms and neck. He couldn't see them, but he knew the Digi-Destined were there beside him. Foolish... Machinedramon wasn't dead...  
  
He tried to open his mouth, to warn them... Nothing. His jaw was too heavy now.   
  
Dragudramon.   
  
"Uhn." He thought. "Come to see me off, have you?"  
  
We don't know. You might not delete here.  
  
"Well," Dragudramon knew he was speaking to the creators of the Digital World; he didn't know of any Digimon with telepathy aside from Psisauromon. "I sure think this feels like it. I don't suppose you could warn Sora, Izzy, and Kari that Machinedramon's still around?"  
  
They know. Even though you prevented them from winning at first by incapacitating Tai and Wargreymon, you have now weakened Machinedramon to the point where they can defeat him.   
  
"That's all I could hope for. I wanted to be the one to finish him, though."  
  
That chance may still be available. Would you take it?  
  
"Absolutely." Dragudramon thought without hesitation. "I never got to say good bye, and that's what I came here to do."  
  
Then you will rise, Dragudramon.  
  
"Bah. I'm enough of a program to know that I'm hurt real bad, even worse than with Puppetmon..."  
  
  
Andromon's blank stare kept watch on the hospital where Machinedramon had crashed.  
"Machinedramon is not moving." He reported woodenly.  
  
"Dragudramon's not moving, either!" An understatement of the year to be sure, but TK said it anyway, rubbing tears from his eyes.  
  
"I don't get it. After all that, surely one of them would be deleted." Izzy said, his rather cynical observation losing the power to be called disrespectful because of the sad look in his eyes as he brushed a fairly intact piece of Dragudramon's neck with his hand. "Nothing seems to work normally, the way it did when we first came to the Digital world. All of those battles where the Digimon we defeated was destroyed cleanly, not bleeding and causing surface damage."  
  
"He is too human to pay attention to the normal rules." Kari said, leaning on Angewomon's leg. "Benjamon just isn't like other Digimon just because he looks human... He acts human. He thinks like a human and like a Digimon."   
  
"Can't you fix him, Kari?" TK asked quietly.  
  
"He doesn't want to be fixed..." Kari answered, her eyes a little unfocused from exhaustion and feeling that other personality, the other Kari Yagami, the person the Numemon had called 'Queen Kari', taking hold again with all her power.   
  
With a push from Angewomon's gentle hand, Kari was back on her feet, strong, an unmovable force in the Digital world. As her aura began to glow a visible pink, she said...   
"But something else does."  
  
  
Do you feel it?  
  
"Ah, welcome back! I was getting lonely. Say, Why aren't I dead yet?" Dragudramon thought jovially. He'd been lying on his deathbed of concrete, dirt, and bedrock for several minutes, and knew that something was not right with this picture.  
  
We are having Kari repair the damage done to you.  
  
"That's nice. But Kari? How can she fix me? She's not my programmer, is she?"   
  
Your programmer is known as 'Drowzee1'. We meant to inform you earlier.  
  
"Oh, thanks." Dragudramon grumbled. "Sorta pointless now, I think. But how can Kari fix me?"  
  
Kari is the forerunner in the next stage of human evolution. She is joined intimately with the Digital world and information. Kari can exert control over the Digital world with her light, healing the injured Digimon.  
  
"Oh. Does Tai have the same potential?"  
  
To a lesser extent. He will be pivotal to defeating a threat we perceive in the future. Do you feel Kari's light healing you now?  
  
"There is a certain warmth from my right side, I think..."  
  
Good. Now go, and claim Machinedramon's life...  
  
Dragudramon's eyes opened, blinking gold and silver. The pain in his back had vanished, and he didn't feet the wetness of his blood or the itchiness that would have been present had it dried.  
  
"Urugh...." He rumbled, clearing his throat before spitting a sedan-sized glob of sticky green blood and mucus off to the left, where it stuck harmlessly to the wall.   
  
"Disgusting." Someone said.  
  
"Don't have to tell me twice. You weren't the one who had to taste it." Dragudramon rumbled back.  
  
"And that's even worse to hear!" Tentomon said, hovering in front of Dragudramon's face. "But are you all right?"  
  
"I'm not dead, Getting better..." Dragudramon knew no one here would understand that joke, but made it anyway.  
  
"That's good to hear! We were worried about you!" Sora said. "But why did you do all that alone?"  
  
"Frankly, I was hoping I'd be destroyed, but I wanted the chance to say good bye first. Something in me just made me want to stay with the fight, keep attacking even when there was no hope of winning..." he chuckled, even as he conversationally mentioned his sacrifice and got a gasp from most of the Digi-Destined. "If I didn't make it clear before, I'm a wild card. There's no telling if my presence will be a help or hindrance to you all. Like poor unconscious Tai. If I'd not been around, he and Wargreymon would have quickly defeated Machinedramon. But instead, I ended up fighting. What if Tai had been killed? What if that falling building had crushed every one of you?"  
  
He got several blank stares. Andromon, of course, always had a blank stare, but...  
  
"My point is that I'm not safe to have around. I left Joe and Mimi because I found out that your destiny is like a powerful train, and I'm a loose piece of track that could get you where you need to go, but also derail the entire train in a horrible wreck. I can't take that chance. That's why I wanted to be stopped by Machinedramon."  
  
"Now I see why Matt doesn't like you..." Sora murmured. "You take everything upon yourself, try to make the best decision, even if it means sacrificing your life..."  
  
Dragudramon sat up, flapping his wings, the left of which was still unarmored. "So?" there was an edge to his voice.  
  
"Matt told me you said 'you did not want to die' after Puppetmon just about destroyed you... But now, you're all too willing to get killed. You planned ahead for us, with food and bandages, but those are all gone, and now that you don't know what will happen, you're leaving us."  
  
Dragudramon tried not to listen, instead picking up the pieces of wing armor that had been broken off and placing it back on the naked bone and membrane structure. The chrome-digizoid turned to liquid and flowed around his wing, and was soon completely re-covered. In the reflection of his wing, he saw Kari glowing for a split second, then dropping to her knees.  
  
With a gasp, he flung himself towards her, and kept Kari's head from hitting the floor with a gentle hand.  
  
"See what I mean? You're playing too many roles at once. You can't help hiding who you are, but we see it."  
  
"See what?" Dragudramon said absently, his eyes soft as he helped Gatomon hold the little Digi-Destined.   
  
"You're scared. You're always scared. You're almost always lying to us because you don't truly know what to do... And you have to follow your heart, which you don't trust anywhere as much as your head."  
  
"Quiet!" Dragudramon snarled, upset that he'd been so obvious about it. He'd be damned if he'd admit it, though. "Andromon! Where's Machinedramon?"   
  
"Machinedramon is in the remains of the hospital above. He has not moved." Came the ready reply.  
  
"Thanks. I'm going to finish this fight! Everyone, get away from this side of the trench!" Dragudramon spread his wings and launched into the air, in such a rush to leave that he forgot his broken chest plate, lying like a shattered silver eggshell, on the floor of the ditch.   
  
With only a few powerful sweeps of his large wings, Dragudramon flew up in front of the hospital, and peered inside.   
  
Machinedramon struck, leaping out of the wreckage and throwing his huge arms around Dragudramon, forming a squeezing, crushing, compacting bear hug as both Dramon plummeted to the floor.  
  
What made matters worse was that Machinedramon had had a large hole blown in his chest, and the edges were jagged and sharp. So when Machinedramon locked his arms together and pulled, Dragudramon's chest was pierced, letting blood flow freely as both heard the ribs cracking.  
  
Down and down they fell, smashing into the distressed floor at the bottom of the hole. Fortunately, the Digi-Destined had gotten away, and now stood by an entrance to some undamaged sewers.   
  
Machinedramon tightened his steely grip, gears grinding, pistons screaming. From the hole in his chest, another threat came... Machinedramon's dark energies, the forces that moved him, were leaking into Dragudramon, frying every piece they touched.  
  
For the second time today, Dragudramon was dying. His blows lacked the leverage and reach they'd had before, only managing to bat at the Dark Master's head.  
  
"Won't he ever stay out of trouble?" Kari asked, regaining her strength and glowing again.   
  
"Kari, be careful!" Gatomon said, "Don't exhaust yourself."   
  
But Kari Yagami stood strong again, her light pure and reviving. "Digivolve. He may need our help this time."   
  
"Gatomon Digivolve to... ANGEWOMON!"  
  
The beautiful angel stood silently by her partner's side while the smallest of their group waged an unseen war against the darkness.  
  
Trapped between the dark energies of Machinedramon's inner workings and Kari's healing light, Dragudramon was hurt and healed repeatedly, the two forces canceling each other out. There was constant pain through every digital nerve as his code flipped from damaged to restored.   
  
Then, something snapped and Dragudramon went still, absolutely rigid in his captor's embrace.  
  
"Gray..." Dragudramon whispered... "Neutral. Fluid. Balance."  
  
"What?" Machinedramon rasped, then laughed harshly. "This poor Dramon has been driven insane!" he howled, trying to tighten his crushing grip further.   
  
The Dark Master failed. The servos in his arms whined in protest against further compacting.   
  
"No..." Dragudramon said softly. "No."  
With great deliberation, the ultimate pushed apart the locked metal arms that had formerly been inescapable. Dragudramon stepped back, calm and collected, ignoring his bleeding chest. He looked at the ground as if puzzling something over.  
  
"What's he talking about?" asked Birdramon, to which Agumon shrugged.  
"Unknown." Andromon stated. "But his strength is now greater than that of Machinedramon."  
  
Dragudramon sat between the Digi-Destined and Machinedramon, his talons raking the ground in random patterns.  
  
"Why'd he stop fighting?" TK whispered, looking up to a similarly confused Angemon.  
  
Kari's light faded, and as she slowly collapsed from exhaustion, Angewomon caught her, holding the light of the Digital world in her arms.   
"I lost him..." Kari murmured. "To something bigger... he's trying to deal with something that combines the power of good and evil, light and dark."  
  
"Gennai once talked to us about a disrupted balance here in the Digital world." Izzy said, staring as Dragudramon simply knocked all of Machinedramon's attacks away with one forearm. "Could Benjamon have found it, within himself?"  
  
"What are you saying, Izzy?" Tentomon asked, unable to take his eyes off the two Dramon.   
  
"I really don't know."   
  
Dragudramon nodded, standing up to face the frustrated and damaged Machinedramon again. "This has gone far enough." He murmured, spreading his wings. "Your disturbance of the balance ends here."  
  
"You cannot defeat the perfect machine!" Machinedramon growled, black energy still coursing from the hole in his chest.  
  
"Tell it to John Henry." Dragudramon shot back, stretching his wings to the fullest; somehow, the air around them was shimmering with tiny sparkles of light that settled on the silvery armor.   
  
"This feels wrong..." Sora whispered, as she watched the glittering specks emerge from the walls, the sky, the floor, herself... from everything.  
  
Over the shimmering surfaces of Dragudramon's wings, white arcs of electricity snapped and crackled, sometimes bridging the gap between the wings, sometimes grounding on the floor. The air was filled with energy, making everyone's hair move erratically as it filled with charge.  
  
Izzy looked at his laptop bag in horror. "Oh no... what if this screws up the drive?" he said, loud enough for Sora to hear.  
  
Sora glared at Izzy, her brown eyes fierce, then surprised, as her hat lifted from her head.   
  
Machinedramon stood frozen, unable to approach Dragudramon because of the energy fields that were emanating from those wings.  
  
"DRAGON FLAAAARRRE!" Dragudramon bellowed, and the arcs between his wings concentrated, becoming constant lines that flowed from wing to wing, crossing other beams until all of them shared a common intersection where the energy formed a large sphere. The ball shrank down, becoming brighter as it compacted, then erupted, filling the curve of Dragudramon's silver wings with furious plasma bursts that formed a solid wave of destructive force.   
  
Pulsing in colors across the spectrum, the wall of energy enveloped Machinedramon and tore the Dark Master apart. Piece by piece, the Digi-Destined saw Machinedramon's shadow break apart before disintegrating.   
  
The flare of light and heat directed solely at Machinedramon vanished. Dragudramon collapsed to the floor, chest heaving as he struggled for breath.  
  
The Crest of Compassion melted, forming rivers of metal that reformed the armor that protected Dragudramon's belly.  
  
"You did it!" TK cheered.  
  
Dragudramon nodded happily, still panting. "Surprise to m... to me..." he said, stumbling over the simple words as the reactivated crest of compassion informed him that all was not right. "Something's happening, and I don't like it..." he growled, staring at the place where Machinedramon had stood.  
  
"The Digital world should be recompiling the city so that it'll come back normally." Izzy explained.   
  
"Correct. We should go, or be caught in the preparatory destruction." Andromon agreed.  
  
Dragudramon continued to stare. "That'd be uniform... this is just a... a..."   
  
Agumon looked at the space where Dragudramon's gaze was directed. "A what? I don't see anything..." he sniffed. "Or smell anything..." he listened in the awkward silence... "Or hear anything."  
  
With a gusty sigh, Dragudramon turned. "Maybe it's just my imagination. Well. Looks like you're stuck with me for a while longer."  
  
Sora smiled. "That's better. Come on, we've got to get Tai up and out of here before the reconfiguration occurs."   
  
They pulled Tai onto Birdramon's foot, where Izzy and Sora held him and Agumon held onto the other large foot. Angemon took TK, Angewomon was already hovering with Kari, and Andromon was halfway up the side of the ditch, climbing up a vertical wall by punching out handholds.  
  
"Sora," Dragudramon rumbled quietly. "Since I now owe you all my life, again... You are right. I'm scared. I just thought you'd like to know before all this is over."  
  
"That's all right," she said. "You're forgiven."   
  
A rock flew by sideways.   
  
"What was that?" Angemon asked, his long flaxen hair pulling towards the site of Machinedramon's destruction.  
  
More rocks flew, larger and faster. Dragudramon snaked his head around, and saw...  
  
A rip. A hole in reality, pulling everything in.  
  
"Oh, Shards and shells." He muttered.   
  
Izzy stared, transfixed by the sight. "An anomaly..." he said.   
  
"Let's go!" Angemon shouted, and four of the five flight worthy Digimon rose from the bottom of the trench. Dragudramon remained behind, buildings starting to fall from the edges of the trench, falling and vanishing into the swirling gray hole.   
  
"What are you doing now?!" Angewomon shouted at him.   
  
"I don't know. Facing my fear of the unknown..." Dragudramon bellowed back, above the rushing air.   
  
"This is no time for Heroics!" Izzy yelled down.   
  
"Then I'm too tired to fly!" Dragudramon answered, digging his talons into the ground. His tail lifted, pointing back to the hole in space. "Especially against this!"  
  
Birdramon started to turn. "Then turn back to Benjamon, and we'll carry you out!" Sora shouted, even though she knew what his answer would be.  
  
"NO! If you come back for me, you won't be able to get away! I'll try to stop this thing somehow, it's my fault, anyway!"  
  
By now, Tentomon had abandoned trying to fly and was clutching to Angemon's foot. "You're mad!"  
  
"I know, I know." Dragudramon hunkered down, a block of concrete the size of a school bus ripping from the floor and clobbering his back. "I suppose this is as good a time as any, to say goodbye!"  
  
"NO!" Sora screamed, so loud that Tai awoke, blinking.   
  
"Tell Matt I'm sorry I couldn't talk to him in person. And For gods sake, don't worry about me! Just remember me from time to time, like Wizardmon and Whamon!"  
  
The pull increased, and Birdramon shuddered, working harder to fly... "Sora, we must go!"   
  
And so the Digi-Destined flew away, safe. Andromon had long since escaped the pull. Dragudramon had watched them all go, knowing he'd probably never see them again.  
  
Once the Digi-Destined had left, Dragudramon clutched tightly to the floor. Without anything else to do, he blinked tears of pain and loss from his silver and gold eyes, and sang.  
Echoing through the city, his baritone rose over the creaking and crashing of buildings being pulled in by the rip in space.   
  
"Take my hand... I'm a stranger in paradise, all lost in a wonderland... A stranger in paradise! If I stand starry-eyed, that's a danger in paradise, for mortals who stand beside an angel like youuuaaaarrraaahhh!"   
  
The song ended as Dragudramon's strength left him at last, and he slid into the unknown of his own creation. As if sated, the rift vanished, leaving behind nothing. Absolutely nothing. That which created it, was destroyed by it. Balanced.  
  
  
Back in the real world, one person knew what had happened. He was crying.   
"LYLA!" Drowzee1 bawled, typing frantically at the keyboard of a supercomputer.   
The efficient virtual secretary and computer interface appeared next to Drowzee1's deep cushioned chair. She was plain in appearance and formal in dress, wearing the same business suit as she always did. There wasn't anything else in her programmed wardrobe.  
  
"Sir?" she answered, over his sobs.  
  
"BENJAMON'S GONE!" Drowzee1 wailed, burying his face in his hands. He wasn't taking this well.  
  
"I know, sir. But his delete signal was not detected, sir."   
  
Drowzee1 took off his glasses, letting them drop to the floor. "Buh... But... but he's GONE!"   
  
Lyla waved her hand in front of a monitor that charted Benjamon's vital signs. The view magnified. "Perhaps not, sir."   
  
Drowzee1's tear-stung eyes stared at minor fluctuations in the readings.  
  
"They are faint, Ben," she said, calling Drowzee1 by his real name. "But they are there. Benjamon is still functioning, somewhere."  
  
Somewhere amidst the matrices of data composing the Digital world, the creators were surprised.  
  
Well. We hadn't expected that.  
  
-THE END-  
  
Author's Note:  
  
That's it, people! My run of show-paralleling fics is complete! I've already got a good head start on my next fic, which involves Benjamon in an entirely new world, with a unique history and factions that vie for supremacy. You won't want to miss it! Especially since I'm going to work on making my writing snappier, with less commas and ellipsis. Also, I think it might qualify as 'R'-rated material for explicit content without passing into NC-17 territory. Ooo la la, or something to that effect.  
  
I'd like to thank Ultram, golmon, and Natrone at Megchan's Digimon Sekai Message boards for providing information on the Digimon of the Metal/machine Empire.  
  
Oh, and if you think my method of getting Wargreymon out of the picture was too contrived, I feel the same way... Honestly, knocking Tai out with an office chair...  
Sorry of you thought the battle was 'Dragon on'. Heehee! Ha ha ha! 'Dragon on'! Heehee heee! (Giant clown hammer BONK) OW!  
  
Incidentally, I used some of my theories in here, especially about the Yagami family.  
  
I know the following typically goes at the beginning of fanfiction, but I am too lazy to edit all my chapters. So:  
I do not hold the rights to Digimon (tm) or any characters of the Digimon (tm) Franchise. I wish I did.  
  
The all fanmade Digimon (tm) are the intellectual property of their creators and have been credited in the endnotes of the appropriate chapters.  
Benjamon and his Digivolutions are mine, MINE! No touchy without permission!   
  
I, Drowzee1, hereby give permission for this story, whole or in part, to be MSTed.  
(Sounds like Excel Saga, don't it?)  
I'm sure it can be done, especially for riffs on comma overuse and sentence length.  
Do your WORST, so I can do my best.  
  
So, in closing:  
Thank you to those who read this all the way through, Thank you to those who review,  
Thank you to those with suggestions, Thank you to those who know a good rhyme for 'suggestions'.   
  
And to those of you who didn't read this, I'm ashamed of you! How would YOU like to have something you poured months of work and agony into to be ignored?   
Yeah, you're sorry now, but where were you when I was writing this? If you truly... (sniffle) CARED about me...   
Oh... That's right. You won't read this, either, will you?! You're walking on thin ice buddy. I'll IGNORE YOU LIKE YOU'VE NEVER BEEN IGNORED BEFORE!   
Starting... Now!  



End file.
